This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah got no love from Mother Nature in February, if by love you mean water.

The unseasonably warm and dry weather may have been good for lowering home heating bills, but it could contribute to what may become a troubling water year across the state.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service released the Utah Climate and Water Report Wednesday with some grim numbers.

"The lid was glued, nailed, bolted, chained and locked shut on snow accummulation and precipitation" in February, said the report, written by snow survey supervisor Randy Julander.

Temperatures were 10 to 20 degrees above average and snowpack — the vital source of water for most of Utah — already is melting at lower elevations and in the southern part of the state.

"Some areas will need to get as much as 40 percent to 50 percent of their annual snowpacks in the next four weeks to reach average by April 1," the report said. "The probability of that happening is very low."

March started out with snowstorms, but much more water is needed. Snowpacks throughout the state range from 60 to 80 percent of median in most parts of Utah.

February's precipitation was 48 percent of average. And precipitation for the water year, which started Oct. 1, is 66 percent of normal.

Reservoir storage is 63 percent of normal — close to levels last year at this time.