UPDATE 4/4, 10:30 p.m.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Today the National Resources Conservation Services department of the USDA announced that the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) total for Utah now stands at 29.0″.

In late march, it was announced that the state had broken the old record of 26.0″ set in 1983 when it reached 26.1″. The old record was set on April 13th in 1983, a time frame when we usually reach our peak.

The 29 inches of SWE is expected to be close to the peak for this year’s snow season (October – April) as temperatures begin to trend upwards, moving into the range of 60s and 70s across the Wasatch Front and into the 80s in southern Utah.

With the rise in temperatures and the extraordinary snowpack, there is a concern for flooding across the state. You can learn more about risks and state flooding resources by visiting the Department of Public Safety Emergency Management website.

Original Story

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (ABC4) – Today the National Resources Conservation Services department of the USDA announced that the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) total for Utah now stands at 26.4″. Yesterday it was announced that the state had broken the old record of 26.0″ set in 1983 when it reached 26.1″. The old record was set on April 13th in 1983, a time frame when we usually reach our peak. With more time storms on the way and plenty of time left in the snow season (October – April), we could see this number raise much higher. Stay tuned. 

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – We have a new, official record in Utah and as you might have guessed, it has to do with water.

Yesterday we surpassed 26″ with our Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) and passed up a record set in 1983. The SWE is what you would get if you were to melt all the show we have in the state and 1983 topped out at 26.0″, but that record is now 26.1″ and will very likely go much higher. Many Utahns will remember 1983 as the summer of the State Street Flood. Here’s hoping we’re in much better shape with drainage conditions this year. We will keep adding to our snowpack and that will push the SWE even higher. 

Yesterday also brought Alta and Snowbird to a stop as they had to interlodge guests. With the roads closed and more snow coming, the decision was made to have everyone stay inside until things improved. The good news for them is that when things do clear up, the skiing will be incredible. Alta is now reporting 742″ of snow which is the second highest since 1980. It’s a safe bet that they’ll set a new record very soon. And Snowbird isn’t looking too bad either as they are at 663″, well above their average of 500″.

And it looks like the wet weather will continue into the weekend, at least for northern Utah. A Winter Strom Warning will stay in effect until noon and we could see some pretty nice totals with the overnight and morning storms. As we go into the afternoon and evening we will still have scattered showers in the region, but don’t look for them to pack much of a punch. Sunday morning could see another burst of snow, but most of the weather will be clearing out. The storm also brings with it a cold front and we’ll be dipping down a good 20 degrees below normal with our temperatures for the weekend and the breeziness won’t help. A good time to bundle up and just enjoy the beauty of the state. 

Southern Utah will have a drier weekend but will still have cooler temperatures to deal with. Breezy conditions, while not as severe as the northern half of the state, will also be in place, but at least it will be under mostly sunny skies for the weekend.

Our next storm system looks to hit mid-week and we could be seeing another bout of rain and snow mix throughout the state. We’ll be keeping an eye on that and get you all the latest information right here on Utah’s Most Accurate Forecast! We are Good4Utah!