Utah Snowpack Hits Record Lows as Nearly Half of Measurement Sites Fall Into Uncharted Territory - SnowBrains

"Roughly half of the state's monitoring sites are now in what forecasters describe as "uncharted territory," meaning current snow water equivalent levels are lower than anything previously observed at those locations. To put the situation in historical context, meteorologists have pointed to long-running individual sites such as the Alta Guard House, where snow records date back to 1944. By February 1 of this season, Alta had recorded 126 inches of snow."

"There is, however, a modest silver lining. Statewide precipitation is running near 90 percent of normal, meaning soils are relatively healthy. But precipitation alone does not solve Utah's water challenges. Snowpack is critical for gradually refilling reservoirs through spring melt, and Utah's lakes and reservoirs currently average just 66 percent of capacity statewide. Without a significant shift in weather patterns later this winter, water managers warn that runoff may fall well short of what is needed."

Utah's statewide snowpack averaged 57 percent of normal as of February 1, the weakest start to winter in the modern record. Sixty-seven of 139 monitoring sites reported their lowest October 1–February 1 levels since tracking began in 1981. Nearly half of sites are at all-time lows, with many locations entering "uncharted territory" of snow water equivalent below any previously observed value. Long-running sites such as the Alta Guard House recorded only 126 inches by February 1, one of the lowest totals in more than 80 years. Statewide precipitation near 90 percent of normal has maintained soils, but reservoirs average just 66 percent capacity, raising runoff shortfall concerns without major late-winter storms.

Read at SnowBrains