Dry weather impacting snowpack in Utah, meteorologists say
Jan 12, 2021, 9:27 AM | Updated: 9:27 am
This map from the Natural Resources Conservation Service's shows the latest information from the National Water and Climate Center on the estimated "snow water equivalent" in current snowpack levels. Source: nrcs.usda.gov
SALT LAKE CITY — We’re starting to see the impact of dry weather on the Utah snowpack, according to meteorologists in the state.
With only weak storms in the past few weeks, KSL’s Grant Weyman said rain in the forecast this week will not be enough.
“Most areas [are] much, much lower than usual in terms of amounts of snow and no big storm in the near future. We’re not seeing [any snow storms] here within the next seven days,” Weyman said.
Current snowpack levels in Utah, according to the NRCS. Source: nrcs.usda.gov
The snowpack levels continue to concern water watchers, according to Weyman.
“A lot of the region or state are well below 50%, and we really didn’t see a basin above, like, 74, 75%,” he added.
According to the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), a branch of the US Department of Agriculture, much of the snowpack along the Wasatch Front remains between 50 and 70% of normal.
In southern, eastern and western Utah, snowpack levels range from as low as 38% to 47%.
You can see the current values here.
The NRCS identifies snowpack as an important source of water for much of the mountain west. A number of factors, including air temperature and precipitation, can affect how much snowpack becomes snowmelt, eventually filling reservoirs in Utah.
