- Salt Lake City recorded its lowest snowfall in over 150 years, with 3.7 inches.
- This is nearly a foot below the previous record set during 1933-1934 season.
- Valley snowfall doesn't affect reservoir collection, but the low snow statewide factors into current dry conditions.
SALT LAKE CITY — It's official: Utah's capital city received its lowest snowfall in at least 150 years during the 2025-2026 snow season, adding one last record to the rough winter the state experienced.
Salt Lake City received 3.7 inches of snowfall over the past snow year, which officially ended on Tuesday. That's nearly a foot below the previous record set during the 1933-1934 season and 4 feet below the 30-year normal, according to National Weather Service data.
Snow totals are measured between July 1 and June 30 every year, largely because mountain locations typically receive snow through June, as was the case this past weekend. The agency has tracked Salt Lake City weather since 1874.
The record isn't much of a surprise. Salt Lake City didn't receive any measurable snow until the very end of December, marking its second-latest first snowfall in over 150 years.
A mid-February storm was the season's big breakthrough, but it ultimately only accounted for two-thirds of the city's yearly total. It didn't receive any additional snow after receiving 0.7 inches on April 16.
Utah also broke a few other records, including its warmest winter on record by a wide margin. That led to much higher snowlines throughout the snow collection season, leading to the state collecting its lowest mountain snowpack since snowpack was first tracked in 1930.
The city's record is representative of the snow years reported across most of the state's valleys. It's a factor in why this fire season has been so harsh so quickly, said KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank.
While valley snow doesn't build Utah reservoir levels like mountain snow, it's still important for groundwater, vegetation and agricultural needs, he explains. Not having snow in the winter, mixed with years of drought, depletes the ground and vegetation, while the warm winter and early spring — with cold snaps in April and May — stressed many trees.
"From a holistic/forestry/wildfire (perspective) to you, me and everybody, absolutely it matters," he said. "To get 3 out of 50 inches — 6% of normal — that's crazy, and it totally matters. ... Valleys, benches (and) mountains everywhere across the state need snow. They need rain everywhere across the state. Can you get by without it for a while? Yes, but not for long."
A positive sign for next winter?
Utah's reservoir system entered July at 64% capacity, down from 79% last year. It's also 11 percentage points below July's median average. The state likely can't sustain another snow season like the one it just experienced without dealing with serious water constraints, Eubank adds.
However, long-range forecasts offer hope for the summer, while Salt Lake City weather history may also offer reassurance for next winter.
Utah has some of the strongest odds in the nation for above-normal precipitation this month and over the next three months, according to the latest National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center model for each. Preliminary models don't yet offer much of a signal about what's expected this winter.
As for Salt Lake City snow, the city bounced back with 38.7 inches the season after the previous record low set during the 1933-1934 season. It received 34.3 inches of snow after the 2015-2016 season, the third-lowest total. In both cases, the following season yielded over 50 inches.
In other near-record-low years, such as 1889 and 1891, the city received over 40 inches of precipitation the following year. These are small sample sizes, but similar patterns are found throughout the city's topsy-turvy climate book.
"When you hit the record low, the next year tends to be average or close to average. That's a really good sign for us," Eubank said. "You almost never have a back-to-back record year."
The past two years are a rare exception; the 2024-2025 season now moves to fifth-lowest at 18.1 inches of snowfall, with the new record set.
Only time will tell whether Salt Lake City will bounce back for the 2026-2027 season, a possibility that may be determined by temperatures and the right patterns.
