Utah snowpacks high in north, low in south

Farmers near Bear River, who suffered badly during the recent drought, probably will have a good spring runoff this year. But southern Utah is in bad shape, according to the latest snowpack figures.

The likelihood that the Bear River region will have a normal, or above-normal, snowpack on April 1 is about 91 percent, said Randy Julander, snow survey supervisor for the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service in Salt Lake City.

Those are "definitely good betting odds," he added. "It would take a complete collapse (of weather patterns) at this point not to have an adequate year on the Bear." That region was the worst-hit by the drought for the longest time, he said.

But if prospects for the Bear River are rated plus 91, you could call those of southern and southeastern Utah's chances a minus-91.

"You look at snowpacks down there," Julander said, "there is no low-elevation snow." The middle elevations don't have much, and higher regions have only 40 percent to 50 percent of average for this time of year. The Virgin River area has only about 20 percent of the snowpack levels it enjoyed last year.

"It's getting pretty brutal down there," he said. And weather forecasts don't hold much hope at this point. Julander said it is as if the south went through a long drought, had one good year, and then returned to a drought pattern.

The rest of the state? "Everything from Richfield north (is at) at least average or above," he said. "So, we're looking pretty good in most areas."

At least, reservoir storage is good throughout the state, Julander said, for every region except Bear Lake.

A heavy snowpack this year could help Bear Lake, and forecasters are optimistic about that, he said.

"We could end up 130, 140 percent of average on the Bear," Julander said, "which would be really sweet."

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