SALT LAKE CITY — 2025 will be the hottest year in nearly a century, breaking Utah’s long-standing record dating back to 1934, according to federal weather data released this week.

The average temperature across the state last year was 51.9 degrees Fahrenheit, surpassing the previous record of 51.3 degrees Fahrenheit set 91 years ago, according to data released Tuesday by the National Center for Environmental Information. It also moved one degree closer to the mark than 2024, which barely missed the 1994 record.

The state’s average high temperature of 64.9 degrees also broke a record since 1934. The average minimum temperature of 38.8 degrees also broke the record set in 2015. The center’s statewide data dates back to 1895.

The record temperatures weren’t local either. The only counties that did not set a new average temperature record in 2025 were Box Elder, Carbon, Rich, Sanpete, Sevier and Tuele, but last year was the second-warmest of all six counties.

Last year was also the state’s 14th driest year on the calendar, with an average temperature of 10.38 inches.

Why was 2025 so warm?

Utah, and the West as a whole, has endured high temperatures in recent decades, but National Weather Service senior meteorologist Monica Traphagan said some weather trends were likely factored into last year’s record.

Overall, this year was a quiet start. While the northern half of Utah finally recorded normal snow levels, Salt Lake City recorded near the lowest snow levels in more than 150 years of National Weather Service data tracking. Many storms bypassed central and southern Utah, reducing the opportunity for cold air to blow in and, as a result, reducing snowpack in those areas.

The summer wasn’t necessarily too hot, Traphagan added. In Salt Lake City, for example, there were only seven days with triple-digit temperatures, which is near normal and significantly lower than in recent years. However, there were many days when the temperature reached 90 degrees, and the temperature did not drop, especially at night, so the average temperature deviation was small.

There wasn’t much monsoon moisture across the state, which meant fewer chances for temperatures to drop. October brought storms and record humidity in parts of the state. It’s just that there wasn’t much snow in the mountains.

Then came November and December, and this year’s place in the record books was confirmed. November had few storms, but Utah had a mix of them, with currents bringing in warmer air from further south and atmospheric river storms bringing in warmer systems. There wasn’t much frigid air mixed in with the storm, so temperatures could sometimes be as much as 20 degrees warmer than normal.

“This was especially true as we approached the end of the year,” she said. “Inside these warm, moist masses, that’s what keeps the cool temperatures down. The more moisture there is, the less radiative cooling we get at night. So the low temperatures stay high and the high temperatures stay fairly moderate. … This was certainly an unusual pattern for us.”

All these trends are factored into the final average temperature.

Responding to trends

2025 also falls under a trend that state climate experts have noted in recent decades. With the exception of 1934, nine of Utah’s 10 warmest years since 1895 have occurred since 2000. This situation is expected to continue and may impact future water demand.

Precipitation in the mountains of Utah’s northern half shows “no long-term trend, but temperatures have increased “significantly” since the mid-1980s, Great Salt Lake Strike Team researchers wrote in a report released last week. That could lead to increased evapotranspiration and sublimation from snow, which could reduce groundwater storage in the mountains, especially if it coincides with a dry year, the researchers noted.

Utah Department of Natural Resources Director Joel Ferry spoke about the Great Salt Lake at an event about the report, saying, “I have personally seen the impact that both climate change and overconsumption are having on the land where I grew up.”

The report also warns that temperatures are expected to increase across the Great Salt Lake Basin under nearly all projected emissions scenarios by the end of the century, representing increased warming for the state. That would make the challenges for lakes and other bodies of water even worse.

These are some of the issues the state will have to address in the future, but the strike team points out there is a path to get there.