About 17,000 Rocky Mountain Power customers across the Wasatch Front lost electricity over the weekend of July 12-13 after record-breaking heat overloaded transformers and fuses, the utility confirmed.
Salt Lake City hit 109°F on Sunday, July 13, shattering the city's all-time record of 107°F, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record had been matched five times, most recently in 2022. It is unclear how many of the 17,000 outages occurred in Draper, which is served by Rocky Mountain Power, but the utility's guidance applies to all customers in the region.
Chad Monroe, a spokesperson for Rocky Mountain Power, said the grid itself can handle high temperatures, but individual equipment fails under extreme stress.
"There were localized outages based on strain on localized equipment, that happens when any weather event occurs, whether it be extreme heat, extreme cold, high winds… just think weather and it causes problems sometimes," Monroe told ABC4 Utah.
Monroe said the company monitors its grid around the clock and deploys additional crews when severe weather is anticipated. He encouraged customers to have a plan in place, including knowing where to go for cooling, before an outage hits.
The National Weather Service kept most of Utah under an extreme heat warning through Tuesday morning, July 15.
What to do if power goes out in extreme heat
The American Red Cross recommends contacting vulnerable neighbors, keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed, unplugging electronics to prevent surges when power returns, and never running generators or gas grills indoors. Residents who rely on medical devices or whose homes become dangerously hot should leave for a cooled public space. Draper City Hall (801-576-6500) can direct residents to local cooling resources.
How to sign up for alerts
Rocky Mountain Power customers can register for outage notifications at RockyMountainPower.net/Alerts. Alerts arrive by text, email, or phone and include estimated restoration times. To report an outage, call 1-877-508-5088 or text OUT to 759677.
Draper residents should also register for Notify Draper, the city's emergency communication system, at draperutah.gov. Categories include emergency alerts and weather alerts. Salt Lake County residents can additionally register cell phones with the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communication Center (VECC) for reverse 911 notifications during public safety emergencies.
Emergency contacts
- Emergencies: 911
- Draper Police non-emergency dispatch: (801) 840-4000
- Draper City Hall: 801-576-6500
- Rocky Mountain Power outage line: 1-877-508-5088
