January 1st Climate and Water Report for Utah
Current Conditions
Luckily, the pattern change hoped for after a very dry November materialized in December. Utah’s valley locations accumulated 1.4 inches of precipitation on average during the month. This puts the 2022 water year total at 3.6 inches. The regions of Utah that needed it most fared the best during December: South Central and Western and Dixie. More good news comes by way of soil moisture levels which are at 39%, compared to 25% last year, and well above normal. Soil temperatures are above normal in Utah with the exception of the Uinta Basin, where they are closer to normal.
Utah’s mountains received greater than 6 inches of precipitation during December, which was more than the previous two months combined. This brings the statewide water-year-to-date precipitation total to 145% of normal, compared with 56% at this time last year. All of Utah’s major basins have received around 130% of normal precipitation or greater; Southwestern Utah has so far fared the best at 180%. Soil moisture levels have also turned around nicely in our mountain areas, up 32% from last year and currently around the 80th percentile of observations going back 20 years. Still, Water Availability Indexes (WAIs) for Utah's major basins are alarmingly low for numerous areas. WAIs combine current streamflow with reservoir volume and compare with previous years. Current low WAI values for many of Utah's watersheds reflects our depleted reservoir storage levels--at only 50% of capacity statewide.
As expected, December’s wetness has had a positive impact on Utah’s drought conditions. None of Utah is experiencing Exceptional (D4) drought anymore, but the entire state still persists in a level of drought between Abnormally Dry (D0) and Extreme (D3). Although this is good news, we will need consistent above-average conditions in the months ahead to eliminate the Extreme Drought currently affecting 34% of the state.