Dry September, dry water year in Utah
Sep 26, 2018, 2:12 PM | Updated: Sep 27, 2018, 8:01 am
September was super dry…and the water picture doesn’t look that good for Utah right now.
This September ties for the driest on record, and it does not look like it will rain before the end of the month.
“The one thing we have the highest confidence in right now, is that temperatures will run higher than normal. That’s not helpful. We’ll see what kind of precipitation we get in the cooler months,” said Glen Merrill,a forecaster with the National Weather Service of Salt Lake City.
Merrill says September only saw a trace of measurable rain at the airport. Normally it’s 1.21 inches.
With no additional precipitation expected through the end of the month, this September's trace of rain will tie for the driest with the years of 1890, 1899, 1943, and 1951. A normal September would receive 1.21". #utwx
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) September 26, 2018
In addition to this September coming in tied for the driest, the water year (Oct 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018) will be the 8th driest with 10.50". The record is 8.16" set back in the 1933-1934 water year. #utwx
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) September 26, 2018
The 2017-2018 water year ends on Sunday, September 30th, and it was a dry one in Utah. The 8th driest on record. Merrill says we really need a good winter full of snow in order to make up for a bad water year.
“We can’t keep the trend of lower than normal snowpack, because it affects water supply, it means low moisture in the vegetation, and it creates more concerns moving forward,” he said.
Merrill says when it did start to cool down this week, it was actually only to around what should be normal temperatures for this time of year.
There may be some rain that comes in early next week, but it is too early to tell how much we will get.
