SALT LAKE CITY (July 2, 2026) – With critical fire danger escalating across the state and drought conditions straining water supplies, officials are urging all residents to exercise extreme caution this holiday weekend. As fire activity intensifies, please recreate responsibly to help prevent new wildfire starts while crews manage ongoing incidents.
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SALT LAKE CITY (June 11, 2026) – With June temperatures rising, Utah is facing a deepening drought that has accelerated the drying of soils and vegetation across the state. Wildfire season has already been active with over 230 fires so far this year, a majority of which were human-caused.
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Water conservation critical as Utah’s water supply faces a drier year
SALT LAKE CITY (May 21, 2026) – Following the warmest winter on record and the lowest snowpack levels ever recorded in Utah, Gov. Spencer J. Cox issued an Executive Order today declaring a statewide state of emergency due to extreme drought conditions.
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SALT LAKE CITY (May 14, 2026) – As temperatures heat up, Utahns are urged to be water-conscious and aware of the various impacts of drought this late spring/early summer. The state anticipates drought conditions to worsen, causing stress on wildlife, recreation, and water supply. Drying vegetation will also create the conditions for increased fire danger. Currently, 100% of the state is in some form of drought, and 59% is in extreme drought.
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SALT LAKE CITY (April 23, 2026) – In a typical year, Utah’s runoff – which refills our reservoirs – would just be getting underway. However, due to record-low snowpack and record-high temperatures, peak runoff has already come and gone. While larger reservoirs with multiple years of storage are doing well, smaller reservoirs with one or two years of storage capacity are struggling.
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SALT LAKE CITY (March 19, 2026) – Utah’s snowpack is the lowest on record and peaked three weeks early. The state’s peak was on March 9 at 8.4 inches, which is about half of what the state typically receives by the beginning of April. Weather forecasts suggest that snowmelt will outpace any new snow the state might receive.
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The Utah Division of Water Resources has partnered with Weber Basin Water Conservancy District and the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s Office to expand and explore the use of Airborne Snow Observatories (ASO) technology in the Great Salt Lake Basin. This ASO project, known as “Wings over Weber”, is the second of its kind in Utah and the first focused on a watershed within the GSL Basin. The project is funded, in part, by a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation.
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SALT LAKE CITY (Feb. 19, 2026) – Utah experienced a more active storm cycle near the end of February. While this is a welcome respite from the dry winter so far, the state would need the active pattern to persist through the beginning of April, when the state typically experiences peak snowpack, to achieve near-normal runoff in the spring.
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SALT LAKE CITY (Feb. 19, 2026) — The Utah Department of Natural Resources has selected Joel Williams as the new director of the Utah Division of Water Resources. This appointment follows the transition of former director Candice Hasenyager, who now leads the Division of Water Quality at the Department of Environmental Quality.
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SALT LAKE CITY (Jan. 22, 2026) – Utah’s lackluster snow season continues to be a concern. 95% of the state’s water supply comes from snowpack. Refilling reservoirs is less likely if the trend of dismal snowstorms continues. 2025 was the warmest year on record for Utah, according to the National Weather Service.
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