2018/2019 Snowpack and Water Year

[Jazzy Joe]

I'll be honest I'm kinda bummed that Powell will probably be higher this year. We really do need the water though.

 

[Nick]

I hear that. Although it'll be interesting to see how much it actually comes up vs. how much of the water has to get moved downstream to Mead. Even with a good snowpack, the forecasts were keeping it pretty low. It's currently at the lowest it's been since spring 2014. 126 feet down from full pool.

 

[Artemus]

After too many years of boring, wimpy snowpack I gave up keeping track of every inch I shoveled some time ago. I had tracked it for 15 years but got bored. Last year I decided to start tracking again - if nothing but to chronicle the impact of climate change on my house. I am chronicling it with bird migration at my house too but that is a different story.

So I started keeping track again and, look, it started snowing again. I am very happy. So is my back and tractor fuel bill, not! If it had not been such a warm autumn/early winter these numbers would be even higher. Much of what precipitation I got in September to even December was in the form of rain.

Graph up to date today, 2/11. February is rockin' on thus far.

 

[Nick]

Nice, @Artemus. I haven't kept track, but last year here on the bench, my snowblower barely got used. This year it's been in heavy rotation. Although we still haven't gotten any single storms that dumped as much as a couple of late winter storms last year.

 

[Artemus]

Nice, @Artemus. I haven't kept track, but last year here on the bench, my snowblower barely got used. This year it's been in heavy rotation. Although we still haven't gotten any single storms that dumped as much as a couple of late winter storms last year.

"Snowblower in heavy rotation"... Nice.

I remember when my sweetie and I used to arm wrestle about who got to run Big Red the honda snowblower to clear the driveway. Then we got the tractor. Now she wants to run it but I have to put "The Snowblower" on it because that is the only machine she wants to run!

Tools of the Fine Craftsman
Big Red, The Tractor and "The Snowblower"

 

[Yvonne]

168% in Southern Utah.
Haven't seen so much snow on all the mountains down here in a long time.
Cedar Breaks got just an additional 17 inches from yesterdays storm.
They almost received 180 inches this winter season.
Can't wait to check it out the next few days

 

[Jackson]

I am chronicling it with bird migration at my house too but that is a different story.

That one sounds very interesting as well!

 

[DrNed]

I am chronicling it with bird migration at my house too but that is a different story.

Like @Jackson I'm interested in what and how you've tracked. So any time you decide
to gather us all around the campfire and open the book of Art's Amazing Discoveries,
let me know, I'll be there.

 

[Artemus]

Like @Jackson I'm interested in what and how you've tracked. So any time you decide
to gather us all around the campfire and open the book of Art's Amazing Discoveries,
let me know, I'll be there.

I will bring my nature calendar - a wall calendar that we keep in pencil and then my wife transcribes to our family iCal calendar. We then build and print out the record (previous arrival and departure events) onto a new wall calendar for the next year and start the chronicling anew. Fascinating... It shows that....... story to be told at the meetup 4/5.. Are you and Action Jackson going to be there?)

 

[Jackson]

I will bring my nature calendar - a wall calendar that we keep in pencil and then my wife transcribes to our family iCal calendar. We then build and print out the record (previous arrival and departure events) onto a new wall calendar for the next year and start the chronicling anew. Fascinating... It shows that....... story to be told at the meetup 4/5.. Are you and Action Jackson going to be there?)

I'll be there! May be either quite late Friday night or Saturday morning when I show up though. Got an abnormally involved day of school on 4/5.

 

[Seldom Seen Anderson]

Even though it is a great snow year...so far... How much does the soil moisture level (dry from previous years of drought) eat into the runoff? It has to be pretty substantial?

 

[Absarokanaut]

Looks like another big round of snow for the southern swath of the GYE over the next couple of days.

 

[Artemus]

Even though it is a great snow year...so far... How much does the soil moisture level (dry from previous years of drought) eat into the runoff? It has to be pretty substantial?

Great question, Seldom. I wonder too. We need science! But, no better place to put it to feed the plants and animals of our ecosystem that have been wanting for quite a while. Thinking about it intuitively and from gardening experience it seems that one or two inches of water equivalent should be enough to saturate the soil and we have more than that of excess/above average snowpack on the ground at this point. At least in this mountainous part of the state, maybe not so much in your desert environment.

 

[Artemus]

Looks like another big round of snow for the southern swath of the GYE over the next couple of days.

Good news Absorka, Doesn't look like your snowpack or points north of you are up to average even yet this year. Unlike last year...

 

[Jackson]

The US Drought Monitor site still shows all of Utah in a long-term drought, so we probably do need even more. The good news though is that, although the SW is still in a major drought, all areas seem to have improved this winter.

 

[Artemus]

The US Drought Monitor site still shows all of Utah in a long-term drought, so we probably do need even more. The good news though is that, although the SW is still in a major drought, all areas seem to have improved this winter.

Link please? Major is better than the worst rating, correct?

 

[Yvonne]

Link please? Major is better than the worst rating, correct?

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?West

The US Drought Monitor site still shows all of Utah in a long-term drought, so we probably do need even more. The good news though is that, although the SW is still in a major drought, all areas seem to have improved this winter.

it takes more than one winter with above average snowpack to revert or ease up any drought conditions. Especially when areas have been in a several-year-long drought. Let's hope for more snow and storms for a really good sized snowpack. And then again next winter.
I could live with that.

 

[Jackson]

Major is better than the worst rating, correct?

Sorry, I was using informal terms. The link Yvonne shared should clear that up.

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?West



it takes more than one winter with above average snowpack to revert or ease up any drought conditions. Especially when areas have been in a several-year-long drought. Let's hope for more snow and storms for a really good sized snowpack. And then again next winter.
I could live with that.

I just meant that the dark red area on that map has decreased in size over the last month or so. Definitely still a bad drought, but yes, more of this precipitation will be great!

 

[Artemus]

I just meant that the dark red area on that map has decreased in size over the last month or so. Definitely still a bad drought, but yes, more of this precipitation will be great!

That is what I am talking about! Less extreme area, less exceptional..

 

[John Morrow]

Still looking pretty great on the south half of the map. I hope this keeps up through spring. Could be a great spring for desert hiking and rafting.

View attachment 74462

Could I get the direct link for this?
Thanks,
John