How Utah's snowpack collection this winter compares with the rest of the West

SALT LAKE CITY — Meteorological winter ended up becoming quite fruitful for Utah's water supply, after a slow start.

Utah's mountains gained 12.9 inches of snow water equivalent, otherwise known as snowpack, between the season start on Dec. 1 to its end on Thursday, Natural Resources Conservation Service data show. The average of the past three decades is 9.7 inches, although both figures pale in comparison to last year's 15.5 inches.

Most of the snowpack collection this winter came toward the end of the season. Water distribution is typically split equally between the three months; however, the snowpack gained over the last two months of this winter helped the statewide figure jump from 69% of normal on Jan. 1 to well over 100% by Thursday.

Candice Hasenyager, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, highlighted these successes back on Feb. 15, as meteorological winter was wrapping up.

"Above-normal snowpack is a significant win for our state as a whole, especially with our rocky start," she said. "It positions us well for the coming months and emphasizes the positive impact of recent weather patterns."

Meteorological spring has already started right where winter left off. This weekend's storm boosted the statewide snowpack to a point where it's close to the average for an entire snow collection cycle — with about a month left in the normal collection period. Utah's statewide average entered Monday at 15.4 inches of water, 0.6 inches off the annual median average.

Since Utah's reservoirs — already in a better place after last year's record snowpack — are currently about 83% full, and more controlled releases are likely, to prevent flooding when the snowpack melts this spring. That could mean big boosts for Lake Powell and the Great Salt Lake again this year.

But how did Utah's winter compare with other Western states that rely heavily on snowpack?

Winter snowpack collections across the West

For this analysis, KSL.com reviewed similar Natural Resources Conservation Service data across 11 other states from Dec. 1 through Thursday. A few other Western states picked up significant snowpack gains over the winter; however, looks can be deceiving in some cases.

For instance, Washington led all of the West in gaining 14.7 inches of snow water equivalent, but ended up 5.6 inches below the 30-year normal. This isn't too surprising because El Niño conditions — the predominant oceanic trend this winter — tend to result in drier-than-normal conditions for the Pacific Northwest.

Washington's snowpack was just 72% of the median average of this point in the year, as of Monday morning. The Evergreen State's snowpack even teetered close to record-low levels at points during the season, and still needs about 12.1 inches of snowpack to reach its annual median peak.

El Niño conditions typically result in wetter conditions for the southwest, and Arizona had more of a whirlwind winter when it comes to snowpack collection.

While Arizona's 5.7 inches was the lowest of all the states, it also lost about an inch of snowpack to snowmelt over the past few weeks before regaining more this past weekend. The Grand Canyon State's current total is also 112% of the average for this point of the year, and 94% of its seasonal median average.

The impact this most recent storm had on the West is helping some states, similar to how February's weather saved Utah's season.

California, for example, has gained an average of 4.8 inches of water since Thursday. Nearly a quarter of the state's entire collection this season has come this month, pushing its current total to 106% of the average for early March and 86% for the season.

The storms also helped Oregon get within reach of its normal for this point in the year, while Nevada — the second-highest snowpack-gainer this winter — is now on pace for an above-normal year, similar to Utah.

Recent storms may have also spared Montana from one of its lowest snowpacks on record. Its average skated below all-time lows throughout a good chunk of this winter; however, it still needs 7.3 inches of water to reach the annual median average, even after all its recent snow.

With meteorological winter now over, Utah, Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon are in the best shape for the water year, as all are within at least 80% of their respective median-average snowpack totals for an entire year.

Montana, Washington and Wyoming are in much tougher spots, at least in terms of normal snowpack. The three states are between 59% and 71% of their median average snowpack for the collection period, with about a month left in the traditional winter season.

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