This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The good news is that Utah's snowpack is nearly melted, which means there's not going to be flooding. The bad news is that it's shaping up to be a long, hot and dry summer.
The monthly Utah Climate and Water Report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service was released Wednesday and it looks similar to reports in previous months.
Statewide precipitation in May was below average, at 73 percent. Overall, the season accumulation for water — October to May — is at 83 percent of average.
Soil moisture, which was 67 percent of average last year at this time, is at 69 percent. Reservoir storage is at 71 percent, down from the 75 percent of capacity recorded last year at the end of May.
"Snowpack is nearly all gone, streams in northern Utah are near or past peak and heading into recession, streams in southern Utah are nearing base flow conditions," wrote Randy Julander, Utah's snow survey supervisor for the NRCS.
Portions of Utah are holding their own, with precipitation so far this year ranging from 102 percent of normal in the Raft River Mountains to 74 percent in the Upper Sevier River Area.
The lowest areas for precipitation for the water year include southwestern Utah at 58 percent and 64 percent of average in southeastern Utah.