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NRCS tells Utah board statewide snowpack about 70% of normal; Great Salt Lake and reservoirs below recent years
Summary
NRCS Utah Snow Survey supervisor Jordan Clayton told the Board of Water Resources that statewide snow water equivalent is about 70% of normal, reservoirs sit near 60% capacity (about 13% below last year), and the Great Salt Lake remains roughly 6 feet below an optimal range.
Jordan Clayton, supervisor of the Utah Snow Survey with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, briefed the Board of Water Resources on current snowpack, soil moisture and reservoir conditions.
"We're about 70% of normal, which is really not where we wanna be," Clayton said, summarizing statewide snow water equivalent and noting strong regional contrasts: several northern-basin sites were above normal for a third consecutive winter while southern Utah experienced a poor snowpack year. Clayton said October precipitation boosted mountain soil moisture, which improves runoff efficiency, but early melt produced a rapid decline in snowpack last April.
Clayton reported statewide reservoir storage at roughly 60% of capacity, about 13% less than the same time last year. He also said the Great Salt Lake elevation was roughly 41,91.5 (reported verbally) and "about 6 feet below where we wanna be," referencing the group’s optimal range. Clayton emphasized the short-term outlook: regional 8-to-14 day forecasts favor Northern Utah and model runs suggest a possible pattern change mid- to late December that could bring more precipitation to the north than the south.
Clayton described operational steps the NRCS snow survey team is taking: resuming monthly water-availability updates, adding 12 reservoirs to regular reporting, improving telemetry at reservoirs (Woodruff Creek already telemetered), and upgrading snow-depth sensors at SNOTEL sites (about 85% complete).
Board members thanked Clayton and asked to receive the slides; Clayton offered to email them and said the slides were available on his presentation machine.
