Utah heat wave threatens snowpack
A record‑breaking warm wave hit Utah in mid‑March, worsening an already poor snowpack and increasing the risk of dry late‑season trails and low water crossings for hikers and backpackers report. That rapid warming shifts precipitation to rain at mid elevations and can turn spring hikes into unexpected mud or low‑flow navigation problems report.
An anomalous high‑pressure ridge drove temperatures about 25–30°F above normal across the Southwest this week, according to regional forecasters; Salt Lake City was forecast to reach the 70s–80s by mid‑March. prismnews.com Statewide snow‑water‑equivalent (SWE) on the NRCS March 1 report sat at roughly 61% of the 1991–2020 median, with 29 of Utah’s 140 SNOTEL sites recording their lowest readings on record as of March 5. townlift.com Six Utah basins — Raft, Tooele Valley‑Vernon Creek, Southeastern Utah, Dirty Devil, Upper Sevier and Lower Sevier — were listed as having record‑low SWE in the March outlook. ironcountytoday.com Operational hydrologic forecasts note that rain and melt have already occurred as high as about 10,000 feet, a shift that converts mid‑elevation snowpack to runoff‑poor rain and lowers overall melt‑season runoff efficiency. cbrfc.noaa.gov Current SNOTEL station reads underscore the problem at hiking elevations: Little Bear (6,540 ft) showed 0.0 in SWE and Tony Grove (6,320 ft) measured just 0.7 in on recent provisional updates, pointing to bare or muddy mid‑elevation trails. wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov Federal outlooks from NOAA and partners for the remainder of March leaned toward continued warmer‑than‑normal and drier‑than‑normal conditions across the West in their 6–10 and 8–14‑day guidance, signaling further deterioration of an already weak snowpack heading into peak melt. drought.gov
