It’s hard to imagine a bigger snow year, but it’s possible. But we really haven’t seen that this year, at all,” said Clayton. “We’ve see a lot of loss of snow, particularly in our lower elevation sites, and it does cause the statewide value to dip down. By mid-March last year, for instance, moisture levels in the snowpack began to plummet. Unlike years past, the statewide snow water equivalent average has been on a steady, upward trend. What differentiates this winter from others is the constant accumulation of high elevation snow. That will likely dump even more snow in the mountains, and deliver a wintery mix in the valleys. Then by Tuesday, another system will hit the Wasatch Front, expected to carry over into Wednesday. So some people will say, ‘what snow?’ and others will be like ‘make it stop!’” Mahan said. Snow totals then could exceed Friday’s, with Mahan saying some areas could see 1 to 2 inches per hour. “And probably not too much to accumulate down here in the valley.”īut from Saturday afternoon and into Sunday, the switch will turn on again, with a lake effect band expected to set up along the northern Wasatch Front, in Davis and Weber counties and parts of Salt Lake County. “It’s probably going to keep snowing up in the mountains, at least on and off,” said Hayden Mahan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. And in Lehi and Orem, some residents say they had about 6 inches. To the north, in parts of the Cache Valley, some residents reported 6 to 7 inches. #Utah /DXqcNbVbl1- Utah Division of Water Resources March 24, 2023Īs of roughly 1 p.m., the National Weather Service’s Salt Lake office had about 3.2 inches of snow. Today's winter storm will keep that number climbing. It's official: Utah ties the record statewide snowpack of 26 inches snow water equivalent set back in 1983. The National Weather Service pointed out, “this is just the appetizer, folks.” Utahns along the Wasatch Front woke up to several inches of snow on Friday - by evening, the National Weather Service says the storm could deliver up to four inches in the valleys, with nearly two feet forecast by Saturday morning at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. it’s very cool to be able to witness this.” ![]() It’s just a matter of having that official number,” said Clayton. “It’s a really amazing thing. The Utah Snow Survey calculates those statewide averages at midnight - so the 26 inch figure is from last night, meaning that by Friday afternoon, amid a fresh several inches of snow in northern Utah, the state has likely exceeded it. The statewide average snow water equivalent, which is essentially the amount of moisture in the snowpack, hit 26 inches on Friday, tying a decadeslong record and making the winter of 2022-23 one of the wettest in Utah’s recorded history, according to Natural Resources Conservation Service data.Īnd by Saturday, Jordan Clayton, supervisor of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Utah Snow Survey, expects the tie to break. According to the Division of Water Resources, the state gets 95 percent of its water from melted snowpack, making the exceptional winter a productive one beyond keeping ski resorts open in Utah.This winter is one for the books, officially. This is because multiple dry winters have been paired with a growing population in the state that has increased water use over time. The Great Salt Lake has reportedly risen an impressive two feet since December alone, but according to USGS data, lake depth is still approximately six feet below its March median over the past 30 years. Just like the stir out West over this abnormal winter, the deep snowpack in Utah has implications tied to a prolonged drought in the state. ![]() It turns out Mother Nature’s immediate plans were for another storm to touch the Wasatch range and bring the area closer to that 800-inch mark. “I think we’re rooting for that 800 inches,” said Andria Huskinson, a spokesperson for Alta Ski Area, at the start of the week. Just two years later, the state set snowfall records that stood until this 2022/2023 La Niña winter started demolishing them with no predicted end in sight. The whole state, as a matter of fact, has stepped into new territory with the largest snowpack since its measurement system was created in 1981. Other resorts in Utah set new records with the same weekend storm but Alta and Brighton have been clear outliers with their sights set on the 800-inch mark.
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