- Utah's snowpack improved but remains at 65% of normal as of Thursday.
- State water managers stress the importance of more snowstorms to improve water supply outlook.
- Residents are encouraged to reduce water use with below-average runoff likely.
SALT LAKE CITY — This week's storms have already helped hoist Utah's statewide snowpack out of record-low status, but Utah water managers say many more like it are needed to improve this year's water outlook.
That's because Utah's statewide average, as of Thursday, is still 65% of normal for this point in the season, per Natural Resources Conservation Service data. Snowpack accounts for about 95% of the state's water supply.
Some basins, such as Duchesne, jumped back to 83% of normal, but that's the highest in the state. The Tooele-Vernon Creek, Dirty Devil and Lower Sevier basins remained at under 50% of normal even after the wintry blast.
"We appreciate the good storm. Now we need several more," said Joel Williams, the state's new water resources director, in a statement on Thursday. "We'll need consistent snowstorms to make up for the snow deficiency we have been experiencing this winter."
What helps is that the numbers will look a little better heading into the weekend. The final wave from the storm pattern could add another foot of snow or more in the central and southern mountains by the end of Friday. It could help some basins in those regions reach levels even closer to normal than the statewide average.
Another storm could impact Utah next week, but new long-range outlooks aren't providing Utah many favors before the statewide average peak in early April. Odds lean slightly in favor of below-average precipitation forming across central and southern Utah in March, the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center noted in a new outlook released on Thursday.
Its outlook lists northern Utah as having "equal chances," meaning that it's not necessarily clear if next month will be wetter, drier or closer to normal for the typical March. The state has slightly greater odds for above-normal temperatures, meaning there might be more mild storms in the forecast, too.
It's unclear yet what that means for Utah's water supply this year. The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center will provide an updated estimate in early March. The center reported this month that runoff levels might be less than 65% of normal at most of Utah's creeks, streams and rivers that flow into reservoirs this year.
Barring a barrage of late-season storms, the Utah Division of Water Resources expects that water managers will have to rely on reservoir storage.
Utah's statewide reservoir average remains 67% full, which is a little higher than the normal for this time of the year. Some that rely on snowpack every year to refill might have a harder time this summer.
The agency recommends that people explore ways to reduce water consumption to help preserve water in the reservoirs. The division has a website dedicated to tips for people to cut back on water in their homes, while the state also has a program aiming to optimize agricultural water use.
