By Thys Reynolds | Utah Public Radio | Photo by Anna Johnson UPR

Warm temperatures and variable precipitation around the state have some scientists and farmers concerned about the 2026 growing season.

Casey Olson is a climate data analyst with the Utah Climate Center. He says that Utah snowpack is far lower than he’d like to see.

“The sheer scale of how much we rely on that snowpack cannot be understated,” he said. “As you go south, most of the peaks are, and especially the mid elevations, are well below normal.”

According to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, 93% of Utah is in some sort of drought, compared to just 19% of Utah this time last year.

Olson said that Utah farmers depend on snow, because it slowly melts in the mountains during warmer months and provides a steady water supply to crops.

“The bulk water resource, and this is looking at the whole big picture, is 95% snow pack,” Olson explained.

Read more at UPR.org.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.