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SALT LAKE CITY — Last month wasn't Utah's wettest February ever, but it did drastically change the state's winter performance and its water outlook for the year, state and federal water managers say.
Utah collected an average of 1.81 inches of precipitation statewide last month, marking the 19th most collected in February since at least 1895, National Centers for Environmental Information data released on Friday shows.
Some communities broke monthly records, while Salt Lake City (3.37 inches) posted its fifth-wettest February on record, dating back to 1874.
With February in the books, the Beehive State received 3.74 inches throughout the meteorological winter (Dec. 1 through Feb. 29). That means last month accounted for nearly half of all the precipitation collected throughout the season, boosting the final seasonal total to 0.20 inches above the 20th-century average.
Last month also tied 1926 for Utah's 20th-warmest February and the state ended up with its sixth-warmest winter on record, with an average of 32.3 degrees.
The National Centers for Environmental Information's data is a mixture of atmospheric and geophysical data from all parts of the states. It differs from Natural Resources Conservation Service numbers, which is primarily a review of precipitation and snowpack collected at various mountain sites in the state.
Utah gained 12.9 inches of snow water equivalent throughout the meteorological winter, boosting this year's statewide snowpack to near the annual average. With some additional precipitation over the first month of March, the statewide snowpack is now only 0.3 inches of water below the yearly average with a little less than a month left in the average collection period.
Nearly half of the winter's collection also came last month, mirroring the trend outlined in Friday's report. A handful of ski resorts also reported breaking snowfall records last month.
Utah's February snowpack ended up 157% of the monthly average and left the total up 48% from where it was on Jan. 1, according to Jordan Clayton, a hydrologist with the conservation service.
"February was a great month for Utah's snowpack," he wrote in a water supply update on Thursday. "With the historic 2023 winter barely in our rearview mirror, it's outstanding to see this winter come through with above-normal conditions."
Updated water outlook
Utah's water outlook was already strong because of last year's record snowpack. But Candice Hasenyager, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, said Thursday the precipitation changes in February now have Utah's water conditions "in a good position" as meteorological spring begins.
The state's primary reservoir system entered Oct. 1 — the start of the 2024 water new year — at 74% capacity as compared to 43% the year before. It's now at 83% of capacity before the snowpack runoff, only 3 percentage points below last year's peak.
Our reservoirs are our water savings account. This critical infrastructure provides us with the water security we have today.
–Candice Hasenyager, Utah Division of Water Resources
Some water managers have already begun the process of controlled releases to avoid potential flooding risks once the snowpack melts. The beloved "waterfalls" at Gunlock State Park began flowing last week, as Gunlock Reservoir is over 100% capacity.
Controlled releases also began at Utah Lake last month, as it neared full capacity for the first time in over a decade. Additional releases are expected at other reservoirs as the snowpack collection season comes to an end, which may ultimately help bodies of water like Lake Powell and the Great Salt Lake — two systems that need multiple great water years to rebound.
Water levels at the Great Salt Lake's southern arm are already back to about 4,194 feet elevation as of Friday, close to where it peaked last year and 4 feet below its minimum healthy level. Its northern arm is listed at 4,190.8 feet elevation, a little more than 7 feet below the healthy level.
Clayton wrote, it's "likely that a large amount of additional water will be available to flow into the Great Salt Lake" over the next few weeks and months because of the existing snowpack, soil moisture levels and reservoir storage within the lake's basin.
While all of this is good news, especially after years of extreme drought, Hasenyager said Utahns shouldn't stop looking at ways to conserve water this year. She said conservation and management are still "essential" because conditions can drastically turn on Utah again in the future.
"Our reservoirs are our water savings account. This critical infrastructure provides us with the water security we have today," Hasenyager said in a statement Thursday. "Continued studies and investments in water infrastructure will be needed for Utah's future generations."
