Utah water year is off to a 'pretty ugly' start so far

With just a smattering of storms to November's name, the dry fall has had Utah weather watchers looking anxiously to the skies hoping December will usher in a wet and wintry pattern.

"Overall it is pretty ugly out there," noted Tim Bardsley with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "It's looking pretty bleak in our neighborhood."

Utah's water managers heard the grim assessment at summit held Tuesday by the Utah Water Users Association.

The timid start to the state's water year, which began Oct. 1, has left the state at 44 percent of average for total snowpack.

Despite that measly number, forecasters said it is too early to push the panic button.

"The thing to remember is that we are only a sixth of the way into our water year," Bardsley said.

Much of the state was in similar wimpy water pattern last year until the second week of December, said Brian McInerney, hydrologist with the National Weather Service.

"We had a good late start, playing golf on the golf courses in November," and then a continual pounding of storms that didn't ease up for weeks. Then, "in early March it was raining mud and in late March we had 14 feet of snow in 14 days at Alta. Our weather has been one of extremes instead of averages."

McInerney and water supply managers are crossing their fingers that the new month will duplicate that wet pattern and Utah experiences the same kind of June next year as it did this past summer, which saw an astounding 400 percent of normal precipitation.

"It was fabulous. Last year's weather was either turned on or off," McInerney said.

Water managers can only hope that switch gets turned to "on" after a high pressure that has been parked over Utah moves out on Saturday, signaling a shift in the weather pattern.

e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com