Snow good — more is better

Better but not good enough. That's the assessment of Utah Snow Survey supervisor Randy Julander after a foot of new snowfall this week in northern Utah mountains and 4 feet at Brian Head.

"We're up 4 to 7 percent since last week. That's the good news," said Julander. "The bad news is we're still stinking it up pretty bad."

The snowpack percentages through February range from 69 percent to 73 percent in northern Utah to the mid-50s for the southeast Utah and Virgin River basins.

It's "highly unlikely" the snowpack will reach normal numbers by the end of the snowfall season this spring, he said. But there's also a "high probability that we won't stay as bad as we are," he said.

"We're getting more storms, which is really nice. People can complain about shoveling snow, but in the summer when it's really hot and they're able to water their lawns, they'll be thankful," he added. Reservoir storage is currently "excellent," he said. "Most are much higher than they normally would be."

"We'll be able to make it through this year, but we always have to think about next year and the year after," he cautioned.

Snowpack percentages as of Feb. 28 are: Bear River: 73; Weber/Ogden Rivers: 71; Provo River: 69; Uinta Basin: 74; Price River 60; Southeastern Utah: 56; Sevier River: 71; and Virgin River: 56.