Curious about how our water outlook is shaping up for 2025? Let’s dive into some data tracked by the USDA’s National Water and Climate Center. This daily tracking provides a “snow water equivalent” snapshot, essentially, how much water we can expect to get from snowmelt
Where Are We Now?
Graph 1 tells an eye-opening story. As of today, our snow water levels in southwestern Utah (black line) are hovering near the historical annual low since 1982 and are well below the median (green line). It’s a stark reminder of the challenges we face in maintaining adequate water supplies.
Looking Back to Look Forward
For water tracking, the “annual year” kicks off on October 1st. Graph 2 shows this year’s numbers are running neck-and-neck with last year (orangey brownish line). By comparison, look back at the purple line for 2023, when we experienced an exceptionally wet water year.
Why Does This Matter?
Snowpack is like nature’s water savings account. What we get in snow this winter sets the stage for how full (or dry) our rivers will be next year. Keep an eye on how we’re doing this winter. Each snowflake matters!
You can track our region’s water conditions and play armchair hydrologist by visiting the USDA National Water and Climate Center website. Here’s hoping for a snowy season!