Salt Lake City sits in a valley of the Wasatch Front in northern Utah, between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake at around 1,290 metres above sea level, at approximately 40.76°N, 111.89°W. Its high desert valley setting gives it a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) — hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and extremely dry, with July the hottest month — average highs around 34–35°C — though the desert dryness makes the heat bearable and nights cool markedly. Rain is scarce, arriving as occasional monsoon thunderstorms in late summer, and the dry heat raises wildfire danger across the surrounding mountains.

Winter, from December to February, is cold and snowy, with January the coldest month — average highs around 2°C and lows near -6°C. The valley readily traps cold, stagnant air in temperature inversions that can hold pollution over the city for days. Snow falls regularly, and the Wasatch Mountains just above receive extraordinary amounts.

Salt Lake City is dry, receiving only around 400–420 mm of precipitation a year, with spring the wettest season; the city receives around 140 to 200 cm of snow annually, roughly a tenth of it from lake-effect bands off the Great Salt Lake, which — never freezing — can generate snow year-round. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

The Great Salt Lake never freezes, so unlike the Great Lakes its lake-effect machine can run all year, feeding the famously light, dry powder of the Wasatch — marketed as 'the Greatest Snow on Earth', with over 1,500 cm falling on the highest slopes. The same valley that catches that snow also traps winter inversions and their smog.

To follow any single measurement in Salt Lake City more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.