Rain comes at critical time for Utah after prolonged heat, abnormally dry conditions
Aug 12, 2024, 4:54 PM | Updated: 5:52 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Heavy rain hit parts of Utah on Monday, which brought welcome relief to a state that has gotten drier over the last few weeks.
“This is fairly significant rainfall that we’re anticipating where some areas could see in excess of an inch during that time,” said Glen Merrill, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, in an interview Monday.
Merrill said the rain comes at a critical time as soil moisture levels in the state have taken a hit. Those levels are important, Merrill said, because they help ensure more water from the state’s snowpack runs off into lakes and streams rather than getting sucked into the ground.
“We’ve had very big winters the last two years. We’ve really juiced up our soils coming into this summer,” Merrill said. “But over the last couple months between June and July, we’ve really seen those soils take a hard hit from extremely warm temperatures – well above normal – and very dry conditions.”
Merrill said storms Monday and Tuesday will help recharge the soil in the short term, but the state needs more rain. Right now, Merrill said, long-term projections show below average precipitation for the first part of fall.
“Hopefully that will change,” he said.
Meanwhile, 90% of Utah is considered “abnormally dry,” according to Merrill, and drought conditions are showing up again in the Tooele Valley as well as parts of southwestern Utah and the Uintah Basin.
“We’re hoping for more precipitation, as always,” Merrill said.
