It was colder in Salt Lake City than in Antarctica on Tuesday morning

Derick Fox
·1 min read

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utahns along the Wasatch Front woke up Tuesday morning to temperatures colder than Antarctica, according to data from the National Weather Service and the United States Antarctic Program (USAP).

Arctic air clipped the northern part of Utah, sending temperatures tumbling downwards into single and double digits.

According to the NWS, the Salt Lake International Airport was at 16 degrees Fahrenheit at the start of Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the Ogden Hinkley Airport recorded temperatures of 8 degrees and Provo Municipal Airport reported temperatures of 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

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The USAP has three stations in Antarctica: The Palmer Station, McMurdo Station and the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The only station in Antarctica where it was colder than the Wasatch Front metro hubs was the South Pole Station.

On Tuesday morning, the three stations recorded temperatures of:

  • Palmer Station — 34 degrees above zero

  • McMurdo Station — 27 degrees above zero

  • South Pole Station — 22 degrees below zero

Of course, it helps that it is currently summer in the southern hemisphere where Antarctica is. During these months, USAP said the continent is basked in continuous sunlight.

During the southern hemisphere’s winter months, Antarctica gets much colder and becomes the “coldest, windiest, harshest continent” on Earth. The South Pole can get as cold as -76 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter while Palmer Station has an average of 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thankfully, these artic-like temperatures should be short-lived. After Tuesday, ABC4’s 4Warn Weather Team forecasts temperatures to go back on a steady rise along the Wasatch Front with above-freezing lows by the weekend.

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