SALT LAKE CITY — In an ominous warning to what is expected to be a long, dry and dangerous summer, drought conditions exploded across Utah last week, with nearly two-thirds of the state now under extreme drought.
Over a period of just one week, extreme drought coverage in Utah blew up, going from just 6.99 percent to 59.3 percent of the state in days. Until this week, Utah had not come close to that large a blanket of extreme conditions since Sept. 2022, and not as early as April since 2021.
As of Monday, the entire state of Utah is under some level of drought.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, extreme conditions signify the possibility of major crop losses and widespread water restrictions.
A sizeable portion of Uintah County in eastern Utah is now under exceptional drought status, the highest designation possible. Due to the conditions, open burning has been banned in the county until May 31, with the only exceptions being designated areas like campfires in fire pits.
Cox won't rule out drought declaration if Utah's water woes intensify:
The drought designations come after what has been one of the warmest winters on record in Utah, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service sharing last week that the state's snowpack is the lowest it has ever been since 1930.
While Salt Lake City proper remains under severe drought, most of Salt Lake County has entered extreme drought. Last month, Salt Lake City entered a Stage 2 Advisory to battle any potential water shortages. Mayor Erin Mendenhall called for Salt Lake City Public Utilities to reduce water usage by 10 million gallons each day, but did not mandate resident conservation.
