What's with the snowpack?

All of us have to eat on a regular basis. We could go to the store each day to get our food, but sometimes that isn't convenient or just doesn't work. However, if we put some food in a pantry or a refrigerator, we would have enough to last us awhile.

Just like people, all of our crops, lawns and trees need water on a regular basis. If it consistently rained about 1 inch every week, we would live in a beautiful garden, but it doesn't work that way in Utah. We only get an inch or so of rain every MONTH. In addition, we have wet and dry seasons, which means we can go for long periods of time without much rain falling. Storminess in Utah is not distributed evenly throughout the year. Our greatest need for water is during the warm time of year, which is our growing season, but that is just when we get the least amount of storminess for the whole year! What we need is a water pantry where we could store extra water.

Did you know that Utah is blessed with a water pantry? The Wasatch and Uinta mountain ranges are our pantry. As moist winds meet these mountains, the clouds lift to get over the top. The lifting process causes the air to cool, and the cooling causes increased storminess, so the mountains get more precipitation than the valleys.

Here is what happens in Utah. The majority of our precipitation comes during the cold time of year. Since the mountains in Utah are so high, storminess turns into snow. All during fall, winter and spring, snow accumulates in our "water pantry." Then, just when the weather turns hot and the storms move away, the snow starts melting and running toward the valleys! The snow that has accumulated on the ground in the mountains is called our snowpack.

The most important part of the snowpack is how much water it contains. Water managers need to know how much water is in the mountains so they can figure how much will reach the reservoirs and be available to us. There are over 80 snowpack sites scattered across the mountains of Utah where snow and water measurements are taken. In the old days, workers strapped on snowshoes and hiked for miles to take readings. Today, many of the sites report by radio signals to a central collection agency. When needed, workers can fly to a site in a helicopter and check a measurement or repair equipment.

For more fun reading and other activities, try these Web sites:    • KSL Weather Center    • Utah Division of Water Resources    • Utah's snowpack