I should have titled this blog, what is Snow-pack, but that subject came to my mind as I was watching our local weather news and was shown a map of the snow depth in our US western states. It showed a diverse range of snow-pack conditions across its various regions, influenced by complex interplay of factors like latitude, elevation, proximity to the Pacific Ocean and local topography. 

In western North America, Mountain snow cover is a serious, vital matter in our high-desert climate and plays a crucial role in storing water during winter when the snow falls and releasing it as runoff in spring and summer as snow melts. 

Western populations depend on the melting of mountain snow for hydro power, irrigation, and drinking water. So every winter day, there’s a snow-pack index published that compares the current snow-pack amount for a specific date to the average snow depth on record at that time of the year. 

On the chart, it shows that of the 11 states listed, both Oregon and Utah are doing better than the average numbers. The 9 other states are lagging behind and below their historic average. 

This means that, so far, our winter snow cover in Utah is finally average after an extremely poor beginning. 

Let’s hope it continues!