Utah snowpack stands to gain up to 3 feet over next four days
Dec 26, 2024, 1:11 PM
Trees are seen covered in snow at the Whitepine Trailhead in Alta on Monday, March 4, 2024. (Marielle Scott/Deseret News)
(Marielle Scott/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — A post-Christmas storm on the Wasatch Front is just the beginning of a four-day pattern of weather that should help the snowpack in northern Utah recover from a dry early December.
KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson said cumulatively, the Wasatch Front mountains will gain between 18 and 36 inches of new snow by the end of the day on Sunday, Dec. 29.
Utah snowpack still slightly below normal
That equates to roughly 2 – 3 inches of water in the form of new snow in our mountains. Lower elevations stand to gain some water as well over the four days.
This is a screenshot of the cumulative precipitation over the next 4 days. The NBM model has been advertising 2.00-3.00″ of water in the MOUNTAINS which would equate to 20-30″ of new snow by Monday. We need this bad for snowpack numbers. pic.twitter.com/aHDt75gYWy
— Matthew Johnson (@KSL_Matt) December 26, 2024
“We’re talking about a half inch to an inch of water in the valleys that will come in the form of rain and snow,” Johnson said. “This is great news for our mountains and even into our valleys.”
KSL reported earlier this month that snowpack levels across northern Utah were measuring slightly lower than normal. According to the Utah Division of Water Resources, 95% of Utah’s water supply comes from snowpack.
Right now the snow water equivalent, a measure of snowpack, sits at roughly 71% of the state median. However, we typically hit our peak snowpack in early April, so forecasters point out we could still bridge that gap before then if the patterns remain active.
