The complete Water Supply Reports from Utah and the USDA are at the links below.
Utah Water Supply Report (click here) USDA Water and Climate Report (click here).
If you’ve noticed the riverbeds looking a bit low or the hillsides turning brown earlier than usual, you aren't imagining it. The latest numbers from the USDA’s weekly climate update confirm that our region is transitioning into a very dry, hot summer stretch.
Here is a quick breakdown of what is happening with our local water right now:
While we had a decent amount of total moisture fall over the winter, the tap essentially turned off once spring arrived. Over the last three months (April through June), the Upper Bear River Basin received only 50% to 75% of its usual rainfall. Because our winter snow melted away nearly a month ahead of schedule, we didn't have the steady, late-spring snowmelt that usually keeps our rivers flowing high into June.
Because the spring was so dry, the U.S. Drought Monitor has officially placed northern Utah and our neighboring corners of Idaho and Wyoming into Severe to Extreme Drought. In fact, conditions are serious enough that some local counties have been designated as federal Drought Disaster areas.
Right now, the ground is incredibly thirsty. Deep soil monitoring stations in our mountain areas show that moisture levels just 8 inches down have plummeted to a meager 12% to 25% of full saturation. Parched soil acts like a sponge; whenever it does rain, the ground soaks it all up instantly, meaning very little water actually makes it into our creeks and rivers. Compounding this, a massive summer heat dome is expanding into the West, threatened to bring blistering temperatures that will bake our soils and plants even further.
Looking ahead through September, weather forecasters are flashing a yellow caution light for our region: We have a very high probability of experiencing above-normal temperatures for the rest of July, August, and September. While southern Utah might get a temporary boost from late-summer monsoon rains, our northern neck of the woods has equal chances of being wetter or drier than normal. Because of this, federal scientists state that drought conditions are expected to persist through the end of summer.
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