August 3, 2017 (UT, WY, CO)

  • After an extremely dry June for the region, July brought relief in the form of above-normal precipitation for much of Colorado, southern and eastern Utah, and south-central Wyoming. Dry conditions continued in July for most of Wyoming, northern and central Utah, and northeastern Colorado. Some locations in southeastern Colorado received over 7" of rain in July, while parts of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado received less than 0.1."
  • July temperatures were warmer than normal over nearly all of the region, with most locations running 2-4 degrees F above normal. Salt Lake City had its warmest-ever July, with an average temperature of 85.3 degrees F, 6.6 degrees F above normal. June was also much warmer than normal across the region.
  • With dry and warm conditions in many parts of the region this summer, since early June there has been expansion of drought conditions in western Colorado, central and eastern Utah, and southern and eastern Wyoming. D1 conditions have emerged in limited areas of central and eastern Utah and eastern Wyoming, with a small sliver of D2 in northeastern Wyoming.
  • The above-normal snowpacks last winter continue to pay dividends for the region's streams and rivers, with nearly all gages showing normal or above-normal flows for early August despite the overall dry June-July period in most mountain areas.
  • The observed April-July inflows to Lake Powell came in at 8180 KAF, 114% of the official 1981-2010 average, and 146% of the 2000-2016 average. At the end of July, Lake Powell storage was at 15.38 MAF (64% of capacity), compared to 13.58 MAF last year.
  • The experimental PSD precipitation forecast guidance for the July-September period shows enhanced chances for above-normal precipitation for far eastern Colorado, and below-normal precipitation for western Utah.

Sign up to be on our email list!

Get news and updates from Western Water Assessment.

© 2024 Western Water Assessment