SALT LAKE CITY — If anyone needs further convincing that things are dry out there, Utah is now the only state in the country to be 100% under drought. It's the first time the entire state has been fully under drought conditions since December 2022.
The latest drought monitor map released Tuesday morning shows all of Utah under either Moderate or Severe drought status.
In comparison, at the same time last year, the state was cleared of any drought status, with only 25% of Utah even classified as being Abnormally Dry, and those locations were in remote areas to the east.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shared that since the water began on Oct. 1, the precipitation across the country has been lower than normal and temperatures have been higher than normal.
A State of Emergency was declared earlier this year for 17 Utah counties because of drought conditions and what is forecast for the remainder of the summer.
Utah's normal to below-normal snowpack has resulted in a quick runoff season, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources, and reservoir levels, although currently 8 percent higher than normal, are starting to decline. Levels are only higher than normal due to the strong water supply from previous seasons.
“Right now, we’re generally seeing outflows from reservoirs begin to exceed inflows,” said Candice Hasenyager, director at the Utah Division of Water Resources. “That pattern typically sets in later in the summer, but this year’s heat is accelerating things. Across all sectors, we need to look for ways to be efficient with our finite water supply.”
