SALT LAKE CITY – You can blame the lack of high or low pressure systems for all of the rain that has dampened Utah’s outdoor plans in recent days.
And left six inches of rain on Lake Tahoe. And almost 1 1/4 inches of rain at Salt Lake International Airport on Tuesday morning. Plus 12 inches of the world’s largest snow at Alta Ski Resort.
All of this precipitation was contained in an atmospheric river or stream of water vapor that moved across the sky like a river moves across the earth.
This particular storm originated in the tropics of the Pacific and has moved eastward unhindered by pressure systems. With no pressure systems to divert its energy, the flow maintained its strength.
And soaked the soil in Utah.
The atmospheric river and drought in Utah
Soaking is a step in the right direction to put our mega-drought behind us.
“Our average monthly total for October is 1.26 inches of rainfall,” said KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank, “and we got 1.23 out of this storm.
“So rain worth a whole month from a single storm,” said Eubank.
The timing of the storm is good. Utah has started a new water year and saturating the soil before winter is what we need, Eubank said. The saturation will help when the spring runoff begins next year. But it’s not all we need.
“When you look at the drought as a whole, it takes as long as it probably takes to get out of a drought,” he said. “It will be years before we really get out of this drought. We will need a lot of precipitation and a lot of water to get into our reservoirs and lakes to replenish them. “
And we need this precipitation in order to remain constant over the next few years.
In early September, Utah’s Division of Natural Resources reported that the statewide average reservoir capacity was 52% (excluding Lake Powell or Flaming Gorge).
Here you can keep an eye on the daily rainfall.
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