Last year, the snowfall received in Utah during the winter season was record breaking. In fact, it was the snowiest winter we’ve had since 1988. In the Salt Lake Valley, we received about 87 inches of snow in total, breaking the record for the most snow in the valley since 1996. However, ski resorts and mountainous ranges record having almost 10 times this amount, with Alta ski resort claiming to have had over 900 inches in total, and Snowbird recording 838. The amount of snow melt produced from that winter alone solved a majority of Utah’s drought; as shown in statistics recorded by the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Their website states that last year, 90% of Utah was categorized to be in “severe” drought. This is substantial compared to this year, following the snowfall, where nowhere in Utah is reported to be experiencing severe drought. However, an alleged 7% is experiencing moderate drought, while 73% isn’t experiencing any at all. In light of last year’s snow season, some questions about this snow season are customary;
How much snow should we expect this season; and how much do we need?
Even though drought is considerably better compared to last year, the Utah Department of Natural Resources website states that “in Utah, we are either in drought or preparing for the next one.” This means that despite current conditions, snowfall and precipitation is always needed in moderation. Nevertheless, large amounts of snowfall can overwhelm our reserves, and can cause flooding and other natural disasters. In the 2023-2024 winter season, this fortunately isn’t a worry however, as we aren’t expecting as much snowfall this season compared to last year. According to Powder Magazine and the NOAA’s predictions, there is a 33-40% chance of there being above average precipitation in Utah this winter. This means that while there will not be as much snow as last season, there will surely be enough to make a good snowy winter.
Sources:
https://www.powder.com/region-utah/2023-2024-season
https://www.drought.gov/states/utah
https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/03/27/utah-snowpack-record-broken-2023
https://www.dcski.com/articles/1702#:~:text=Alta%20ski%20area%20saw%20a,all%2Dtime%20seasonal%20snowfall%20records.
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2023/4/9/23671361/utah-snow-record-snowfall-winter-water-equivalent