{"id":562824,"date":"2026-04-03T21:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T21:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/562824\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T21:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T21:00:14","slug":"utahs-drought-makes-rare-leap-to-the-extreme-as-its-record-low-snowpack-melts-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/562824\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah\u2019s drought makes \u2018rare\u2019 leap to the extreme, as its record-low snowpack melts \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than half of Utah suddenly finds itself in extreme drought, following record warmth that\u2019s already melted most of Utah\u2019s record-low snowpack.<\/p>\n

Extreme drought or worse now blankets nearly 60% of the state, as compared to 7% of the state last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor<\/a>. That includes almost 1% in exceptional drought, as the worst drought condition that already developed in western Colorado has now extended across the border.<\/p>\n

All other parts of the state are also in at least moderate drought for the first time this year, with over 80% in at least severe drought \u2014 nearly double the percentage listed just two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnomalous heat and record-low snowpack levels\u201d caused drought to explode across the Intermountain West, David Simeral, a climatologist for the Western Regional Climate Center, wrote in an adjoining report.<\/p>\n

Utah experts knew March\u2019s weather would cause the state\u2019s drought to worsen, but even they were taken aback by the leap.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s rare to see the drought status over … the whole state essentially change by one category in one drought update,\u201d said Glen Merrill, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n

\"\"A view of the Wasatch Mountains from Willard Bay State Park in Willard on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Sudden drought severity<\/p>\n

Drought is difficult to define, but the report generally mixes temperature, moisture, snowpack, soil moisture, stream flow, vegetation and a whole bunch of related data into one category to define conditions, Merrill explains.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s report marks the first time any part of Utah has reached exceptional drought since January 2023, before a record-high snowpack that winter helped the state climb out of one of its worst droughts on record.<\/a> It\u2019s also the first time that at least half of the state has been listed in extreme drought since November 2022, shortly after that season\u2019s water year began.<\/p>\n

\"\"These maps show Utah’s drought conditions over the past two weeks. The latest report, right, was released on Thursday, showing a massive expansion of extreme drought in the state. | U.S Drought Monitor <\/p>\n

It follows what became yet another record-breaking month for the state. Statewide climate data for March has yet to be released, but Salt Lake City\u2019s average temperature last month shattered the previous March record by 3.5 degrees, and many other communities also broke records.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never seen temperatures in March like we saw this year,\u201d Merrill told KSL, pointing to all-time March high temperatures of 97 degrees in St. George, 89 degrees in Provo and 84 degrees in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n

That piled onto record-high temperatures that had already factored into Utah\u2019s ever-important snowpack, which accounts for about 95% of the state\u2019s water supply. Thursday marks Utah\u2019s normal snowpack peak, but experts have already accepted that this year\u2019s statewide snowpack peaked at 8.3 inches of snow water equivalent on March 9 \u2014 a little more than half of Utah\u2019s normal collection.<\/p>\n

\"\"A graph of Utah’s statewide snowpack as Thursday. The statewide average peaked at 8.3 inches of snow water equivalent on March 9, a little more than half of the normal peak almost a month below the typical peak on April 2. Storms on Wednesday and Thursday have helped add additional snowpack, but experts don’t believe Utah will reach its March 9 peak again this season. | Natural Resources Conservation Service <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the lowest statewide figure in the modern snowpack collection era, dating back to the 1980s, 1.9 inches below the previous low set in 2015. Jordan Clayton, a hydrologist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, previously blamed record-warm temperatures for creating little to no snowpack in low- and mid-level basins this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Approximately two-thirds of this year\u2019s poor collection has already melted prematurely in the March warmth, causing streamflows to peak in many areas. It\u2019s left the current snowpack at nearly one-fifth of the median statewide average for the normal peak date, and closer to what\u2019s normal for mid- to-late May, likely factoring in the increased drought intensity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re essentially going into the warm season one to two months early this year,\u201d Merrill said. \u201cIt\u2019s already rearing its head and showing itself with the latest degradation in the drought status.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A light snow falls on flowers in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms will be possible across northern Utah tonight into the overnight hours. The bulk of the storm moved in Thursday morning as a cold front sweeps across northern Utah, then eventually central Utah by the afternoon. Temperatures will increase from the upper 50s Saturday to mid 60s Easter Sunday. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News How spring storms can help<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s report doesn\u2019t capture precipitation from a storm that swept over the state on Wednesday<\/a>, which brought widespread valley rain and mountain snow. Another storm created some valley snow to parts of Utah on Thursday, delivering over half an inch of precipitation across many communities, and over an inch in parts of the Wasatch Front.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s unclear how it will affect next week\u2019s drought report, and it\u2019s a \u201cdrop in the bucket\u201d when it comes to water supply, Merrill said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s done very little to move Utah\u2019s snowpack needle, while meteorological spring is normally the state\u2019s wettest season, so this week is only helping many communities inch closer to what\u2019s normal after a three-week dry spell last month.<\/p>\n

\"\"Big Cottonwood Creek flows following a much-needed snowstorm on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Resorts in the Cottonwood Canyons reported snow totals from 15 to 22 inches. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News <\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say there aren\u2019t benefits. More storms like it can delay snowmelt and vegetation dryout, which can help reduce the impacts of drought before summer arrives, the state\u2019s typical driest season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to keep seeing these rain events periodically just to keep things tamped down a little bit,\u201d he said, adding that it would also reduce demand on Utah\u2019s reservoirs, which are at 73% capacity with little snowmelt left to gain from.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd25 Utah Wildfire Update \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n

84 wildfires already\u2014and it’s only April 2. Most are human-caused.<\/p>\n

Low snowpack, drought, and heat are setting up for a big fire season.<\/p>\n

Prevention is our best defense. Use your #FireSense<\/a> \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/Rr5vz9ogDj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) April 2, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

The National Weather Service\u2019s Climate Prediction Center lists Utah as having slightly higher odds for above-average precipitation through mid-April, indicating more storms on the horizon, but the agency also notes that odds lean toward average-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation in Utah throughout April and the next three months.<\/p>\n

The latter could cause Utah\u2019s drought to worsen, Simeral wrote. Some cities, like Salt Lake City<\/a>, have already enacted water shortage plans, while firefighters across the state are also preparing for a potentially early and active season<\/a> in case conditions worsen this year.<\/p>\n

\"\"Willard Bay State Park’s South Marina in Willard on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News