SALT LAKE CITY — Last month was the warmest July in the contiguous U.S. since at least 1895, but not in Utah — just barely.
The Beehive State ended July with an average temperature of 76.7 degrees, which was its second-warmest July overall over the past 132 years and a half-degree shy of its July record set in 2003, according to National Centers for Environmental Information data released on Monday.
Utah’s near-record average was anchored by extreme heat events during the first half of the month…