Average statewide year-to-date snowpack 106% of normal

Utah's water outlook is hopeful again following a flurry of heavy Christmas weekend storms that pounded the state.

The statewide average of year-to-date precipitation/snowpack now stands at 106 percent of normal.

Randy Julander, Natural Resources Conservation Service data-collection officer, said he's always optimistic about water storage and believes that all of Utah's lakes and reservoirs should fill next spring, with likely exceptions of Bear Lake, Lake Powell and Willard Bay.

This year's storm pattern is similar to the one a year ago where December featured heavy storms and then January was very dry.

"If it turns off again, we'll still be OK," he said.

Julander said Bear Lake and Lake Powell are probably going to take years to fill, while Willard Bay's dike work will slow its fill-up in 2009.

"We'd love to have 120 percent of normal right now," he said. "But most basins are over 100 percent."

Indeed, the Virgin River leads the state at 155 percent of normal.

"The Virgin River got hammered a bit," Julander said of the past week.

Second highest is the Beaver River at 129 percent. Seven of the state's 13 major basins are above normal right now.

The two lowest basins are the Price-San Rafael (83 percent of normal) and the Bear River (93 percent).

What's ahead?

"We have the most of winter yet to go," Julander cautioned, noting that the extremes can happen, as the soaking wet year of 1983 or the bone dry year of 1977. "We don't have anything to hang our hat on yet."

What Julander doesn't want to see are a lot of inversions or extra-cold temperatures. That scenario can block winter storms.

Christmas Day boasted a record snowfall at the Salt Lake International Airport for that date, with 7.2 inches. That broke the previous Dec. 25 record of 5.9 inches, set in 1943.

The airport also received 1.6 inches more on Dec. 26 and another 0.7 inches on Dec. 27, for an impressive 9.5-inch, three-day total.

The airport has received 1.30 inches of moisture so far in December. That's 0.19 of an inch above normal.

Snowbird now has the state's deepest ski resort base at 74 inches. Powder Mountain is next at 67 inches.

There was still a 40 percent chance of snow in Salt Lake City on Monday night, while Tuesday will be partly sunny, with a high temperature near 34 degrees.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day both have a 30 percent chance for snow. The overnight low on New Year's Eve will be 28 degrees and New Year's Day will have a high near 37.

The avalanche danger remains high for the mountains of Salt Lake, Provo, Logan and the Uintas. The Ogden-area mountain avalanche danger has been downgraded to considerable risk.

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com