Snowpacked: Some areas of Utah could go from drought to flooding this spring

• Uintas: The snow courses for the Uinta Mountains are at 177 percent of average. "They have six sites on the south slope that are over 200 percent," Julander said. With so much snow, the Uintas have a 97 percent probability of being at least average when the accumulation season ends about April 1.

"That's about as good a bet as you can take," he said.

Should the snow taper off in the Uintas and only the average amount of precipitation falls for the rest of the winter, "they'd still end up with 130 percent." But if the maximum credible amount were to fall, the Uintas would have 200 percent of average.

• Sevier River: The region was Dust-Bowl dry until now. But today the snow level is at 172 percent of normal, meaning the chance of having at least an average runoff is 85 percent. "There are some sites up there that have some really monstrous snowpacks as well," Julander said.

• Southwest: In southwestern Utah, including the Virgin River drainage that waters St. George, the snowpack is a walloping 246 percent of average for this time of the year. "That's more than double what they had last year, and it's very, very similar to the snowpack they had in 1983."

And 1983 was the great flood year throughout much of Utah.

In northern Utah, snow accumulations are not as extraordinary as in the south, "but we've got some nice storms coming through," he said.

The drought may or may not be ending. But if it is, why the change?

"Well, it's about time," said Len Randolph, KSL meteorologist. "After six years of drought, the climatological history of the West would just tell us we're absolutely due for a break.

"And that's what appears to be happening."

Over the past 300 years, according to the record of tree rings, this region has had only one drought that lasted seven years.

Does that mean the current drought is ending?

The cautious Randolph doesn't want to say that yet, "but we're feeling very comfortable."

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com