As Utah exits drought, heatwave brings hotter-than-average temperatures

A recent heatwave brings temperatures up to as high as 102 degrees in Provo and may affect drought conditions in the future.

As much as 66% of Utah is out of drought conditions, according to U.S. Drought Monitor, but a recent heatwave brings temperatures up to as high as 102 degrees in Provo and may affect drought conditions in the future.

Utah received enough water over the last two years to fill reservoirs to over 92%, around 20% higher than normal, according to an update by the Utah Division of Water Resources. The report states that at this point in the year, most of Utah’s snowpack has melted, which has lead to especially high rivers and lakes.

“Statewide storage is at its highest level in at least 15 years, if not much longer,” the update said. In addition, the Great Salt Lake has risen roughly six-and-a-half feet since 2022, the update also said.

Statistics like these paint a positive picture of Utah’s water future, but Utah’s current above-average temperatures, if not tempered by rainfall in the next few months, could lead to a drier 2025.

“The thing that happens is if we have these really hot, hot summers, it leaves the ground very, very dry,” Laura Haskell, drought coordinator with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said. “And if we don’t get some snow or rain or something over the summer or into the fall, then the snow is very dry when it melts next spring and then we don’t get as good of runoff.”

Snowmelt from as far back as 2022 has continued to provide water to Utah’s reservoirs, Haskell said, and that snowpack provided wet conditions conducive to streamflow. Utah’s snow water equivalent, or how much water is stuck in snowpack, is currently at zero inches, which is standard for July, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“Typically we build up that soil moisture with some early fall rains or maybe even some early snowfall that then melts, but it does soak into the ground to increase the water in the soil,” Haskell said.

While spikes in temperature might have a minor effect on how much water an area has, constant trends over time are what have the most impact on drought conditions, according to BYU geography professor Matt Bekker.

“Weather events like this won’t have much of an effect on water, especially since the spring runoff is long past,” Bekker said. “It will melt some of the remaining snowpack and increase evaporation a bit, but the more important thing is long-term trends in climate.

In a graph outlining temperature data collected by BYU’s weather station, the average temperatures of BYU/Provo has risen slowly since the station began collecting data in 1981.

“Consistently warmer years over time mean more snow melting earlier in the spring, more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow, more evapotranspiration and lower snowpack overall,” Bekker said.

Although most of Utah has escaped drought conditions, drought.utah.gov, a part of Utah DNR, urges Utahns to find ways to conserve water and prepare for future dry spells.

“Mother Nature is doing her part. We need to continue to do ours and look for ways to use our water supply efficiently and become more drought resilient,” the organization said in a drought update.

Information on water conservation programs, like the Agricultural Optimization Program for farmers and SlowtheFlow.org for residents, can be found at water.utah.gov.