The Coldest Place In Utah Holds A National Record

Though temperatures are still fair in Utah right now, the cold will be coming shortly, invading sometime next month.  

Southern Utah temperatures will remain steady, and snow is unlikely because of the climate. However, up north will become much colder and have ice and snowstorms to contend with. 

These are pretty regular occurrences in Utah and even though it may not seem like one of the coldest places in the U.S., it is. Utah has a place the holds the record for second coldest temperatures in U.S. history even beating out Alaska during the 1900s. 

Cache County is home to Peter Sinks and was a stunning –69.3F in February of 1985, the Utah Geological Survey said. Only beaten out by Roger Pass, Montana by less than half a degree, Utah came in second. 

Peter Sinks is a collection of sink holes in the Bear River Range that has unique topography and high elevation. The dry air in Peter Sink is what creates its own microclimate, the UGS said.  This is what allows temperatures to drop so much.  

Basically, the cold and dry air becomes heavy in the area and then becomes trapped dropping the temperatures to unbelievable degrees.  

Utah State University installed a monitoring station in 2009 that still watches the area and monitors wind levels. 

So, thought the record hasn’t been broken in years, there is the possibility that somewhere else could take second coldest place in the U.S. For now, Utah retains that title and is always watching during the cold months.