SALT LAKE CITY — Storm clouds gathering on Thursday may mean more rain in the valley and snow in the mountains, but 2022 is still looking like a questionable year for water.
There haven't been enough storms to significantly impact Utah's drought conditions, and the recent summer-like weather meant a snow melt that was much too early.
Nearly all of Utah's water needs come from snow melt to fill lakes and reservoirs, so a significant snow pack and slow snow melt is what is needed right now.
“It’s concerning to see some of the trends that we’re seeing. We’re about 75% of normal right now, for this time of year," said Jordan Clayton, Supervisor with the Utah Snow Service.
"That’s a depressing number because we were about 88, 89% of normal just about a week ago.
The unseasonably warm spell that we had over the weekend really did a number on our snow pack.”
He added that snow pack even at the higher elevations will now be more susceptible to melting because of the unseasonably warm weather.
But April is one of the wettest months in Utah, so Clayton remains hopeful that more rain and snow is on the way.
