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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists have alerted Utah residents that a heat wave will begin Sunday and remain over the Lake Powell area for at least the better part of a week.
Excessive heat is plaguing much of the U.S. this week, prompting meteorologists to issue heat-related warnings, particularly in California, where daytime temperatures were recorded well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit over several days.
As of Friday afternoon, at least eight states in the Western U.S. and 15 states in the Southern and Eastern U.S. were under either an excessive heat warning or a heat advisory. An excessive heat warning was also issued for parts of southern Utah as of Friday and will remain in place from Sunday to Tuesday. But meteorologists expect the heat to linger after that, particularly in the Lake Powell area.
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Lake Powell is the second largest reservoir in the U.S. and is located in Arizona and Utah.
"Dangerous long-duration heatwave still anticipated next week," the NWS office in Salt Lake City posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. "Excessive Heat Warning will begin for portions of southern Utah Sunday and persist through Tuesday, though extensions in time are likely. Further areal expansions to heat advisories/watches/warnings also likely."
In a graphic included in the post, meteorologists said that "locations expected to experience these dangerous temperatures include lower Washington County, Zion National Park area, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (including Lake Powell)."
The graphic also said the conditions could persist through next Friday, but NWS meteorologist Sam Webber told Newsweek it's possible the heat will last even longer.
"Very hot temperatures 110-115 degrees and overnight low temperatures in the upper 70s will impact anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration," the warning said.
Webber said the average high temperature for that area during this time of year is 101 or 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The average low temperature is in the low 70s.
"It is above normal," Webber said. "It does get hot down there and we are moving into the summer months, so heat is not uncommon. However, this stretch of heat in particular is pretty long."
He said that the longest stretch of heat with high temperatures at 110 degrees or hotter was eight days in a row. The current forecast expects the conditions to persist for at least seven days, he added.
"That's why this is also a standout heat event...the duration of the heat itself is pretty long," he said.
Meteorologists urged people in the affected area to hydrate properly, take frequent breaks if working outside, wear lightweight and light-colored clothing and reschedule outdoor activities outside of the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. period, when the hottest temperatures are expected.
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