During this unprecedented Utah winter, many are wondering how much the snowfall will help end the state’s drought and fill the Great Salt Lake.
While the drought status of the majority of Utah continues to lessen each week, the good news continues at the lake.
On Wednesday, the Great Salt Lake was measured at 3 feet higher than its historic low reached last November.
The lake hit 4191.5 feet above sea level at 2:15 p.m., which is a yard over the record low of 4188.5 feet.
Even better, the large lake rise has come before the true snow runoff has begun. With Utah having already surpassed it’s all-time snowpack numbers, the runoff could be epic, which would be great news for the lake.
The runoff could get underway in earnest next week when temperatures in northern Utah are expected to reach the 70s, just days after the current April storm wraps up.
It was only last week when none of the state was under “Exceptional Drought” status for the first time in three years. Currently, just under 20 percent of Utah, including the Salt Lake area, is in “Severe Drought” and those numbers continue to drop each week.
This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake—and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org
