Around 40% of Iron County is facing extreme drought conditions according to the U.S Drought Monitor. Roughly 95% of neighboring Washington County is experiencing similar conditions.
However, even with the winter as dry as it was, it’s no longer the worst on record. The recent storms helped raise snowpack levels in the mountains from the historically bad 25% of average at the beginning of the month to 65% this week.
This is still one of the lowest percentages recorded by the SNOTEL system since 1980. The SNOTEL system is a network of snow telemetry sites that measure snow density and water content.
The snow levels at these sites in the Southwest Utah mountains are four to nine inches below average for this time of year. In other concerns, soil moisture levels also remain low.
Even with the storms, soil moisture levels are among the lowest in 20 years. This can negatively impact spring run off as it is absorbed into the soil before reaching rivers and reservoirs.
Previous winters have brought wet storms, causing current reservoir levels in Southwest Utah to be about 70% of capacity. However, this is still lower than in previous years.
Each storm helps, but more are needed, and with the chances of good precipitation and storms becoming less likely, water conservation is becoming more important for the Cedar City community.
Go to the Utah Department of Natural Resources water conservancy page to find information and resources to save water.
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Author: Maddi Munro
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
outdoors@suunews.net
