Is lake to blame for S.L. hot spell?

It's 75 miles long by 28 miles wide, it's among Utah's most recognized geographic features — and it's running low.

Water level fluctuations are nothing new for Great Salt Lake. At its recorded 1963 low, many islands were landlocked. In 1983, the lake flooded houses, farmland and nearby roads.

But the low lake level this year could be doing more than causing sailboats to bottom out. It could be behind Salt Lake's record-hot July.

At the Salt Lake City International Airport station, where the official temperature is recorded, the afternoon high often is affected by a lake breeze, explains Larry Dunn, chief National Weather Service meteorologist in Salt Lake City.

"Land heats up, and the water doesn't heat up as much. The cooler air on a warm day spreads inland with a northerly or northwest wind. That brings in slightly cooler air … that's why typically, we average only five days per year that get over 100 degrees," Dunn said.

Other factors, such as a high pressure cell that has been parked over the West this summer and southerly winds that can keep the lake breeze from shifting in the afternoon, are likely also at play in the area's hot summer. But the effect Great Salt Lake can have on Utah weather is significant, Dunn said.

"What we think is happening, specifically, the lake is really low and really small, the water is not as cool and (the shoreline is) farther from the airport (temperature station.) We've been able to top 100 degrees on days when we don't have a strong south wind," Dunn said.

"When you look at the historical lake level, in the '60s the lake was even lower than it is now. And of course the record we broke for most consecutive 100-degree days was from 1960."

By July 24, Salt Lake City logged 10 days of 100-degree temperatures in a row — breaking a record set in July 1960.

The area tied another record for a total of 15 days in July with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher. That record also was set in July 1960.

Overall, this July was the hottest on record, averaging 83.4 degrees. The previous record, set last July, was 81.9 degrees.

Other researchers are skeptical as to how much the lake's level could be altering temperatures, but they don't deny there is some Great Salt Lake effect.