Many have probably noticed that Southern Utah has received a good amount of snow this fall and winter. But what are the snowpack levels? And how much snow is enough to get Utah out of its drought?
Both ksl and kpcw, a news service in Park City, say we still need some more.
Glen Merrill, Hydrologist from the National Weather Service, told ksl that Utah’s snowpack levels sit at about 152% above average — the best start since 2011 — but we still need about 10 inches on top of normal snowfall.
Utah weather services seem to agree that getting out of the drought would take two or more above-average winters to achieve that number. And though snowpack levels have started off well, they may not continue to rise. Afterall, that’s what happened last winter.
But there is really no way to know how much snow we will get this winter. Merrill, for one, guessed the rest of December would be pretty dry. He did add, however, that “we typically don’t see peak snowpack accumulation … until the first week in April, so we have a long ways to go.”
Utah depends on snowpack for 95% of its agricultural, municipal and drinking water. All we can do is hope and pray that the winter stays cold and snowy.
– The Byway
Feature image caption: Snow on Merrill’s Bench just south of Tropic, Utah.