Southern Utah could see more wildfires this year

SALT LAKE CITY — Below-normal rain and snowfall in southern Utah, combined with increased drought and high temperatures, could lead to more wildfires in the area this year. 

Right now, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that portions of southwest Utah are experiencing extreme drought. And half of the counties in Utah monitored for snowpack by the USDA are below 50% of the state’s 20-year median snowpack average.

“Much of Utah has seen below normal precipitation as we’ve gone through winter and the early spring months,” said Scott Jensen, Senior Meteorologist at Rocky Mountain Power.

“Our northern mountains did manage to finish near normal or even slightly above normal in our snowpack values, but unfortunately the southern half of our state finished significantly below average in precipitation and snowfall,” he said. 

Jensen said these conditions lead to an increase in the severity and expansion of our drought conditions across the state, fueling the possibility of fire. 

Normal wildfire activity, for now

The rest of the spring and early summer will have normal wildfire activity, but southern Utah will see above-normal fire activity throughout June and July. 

The good news, according to Jensen, is that Utah’s late-summer monsoon season should be more active. And that means the possibility of more rain. 

“We expect to begin the summer, especially late May and June, with below average precipitation across the entire state,” Jensen said. “As we get into those kind of later July and August months, we think there will be above-normal precipitation in southern Utah.” 

This will allow the southern end of the state to return to near-normal fire activity. 

Power utility working on fire prevention

Rocky Mountain Power is taking action to prevent a worse wildfire season. The utility said it is investing $3 billion in wildfire prevention through 2027.

Their investment includes updating power lines with technology that can de-engergize power lines at any moment, reducing the risk of fire in case a line snaps or something falls into it, like a tree or building.

This technology also allows the power company to help prevent the spread of fire in case an existing fire gets too close to a line.