It is snowing today (Thursday) in Innsbruck, the first valley snow since we arrived in late February. It's just above freezing so that the snow is sticking on cold surfaces, but sidewalks and roads are snow free. Below is the view from my office.
I haven't thought about the weather in Utah in a few days. I knew it was going to be hot, but now that I'm checking the numbers, I'm pretty blown away. Multiple days at or above 80, including an 84(!) on Saturday March 21.
Let's put those numbers into historical context. During the 20th century, the highest March temperature recorded at the Salt Lake City International Airport was 78°F, reached on 24 March 1956 and 26 March 1960. During the 21st century, we have tied or topped that number 14 times. This includes reaching 80°F for the first time on 31 March 2012 and reaching or exceeding 80°F five times in the current heat wave, including the mind-boggling 84°F.
Let's dig a little deeper. For the 8-day period ending yesterday (Wednesday, March 25), the average maximum temperature was 78.3°F. The previous March record for an 8-day period was 74.4°F set in 2017. The 20th century record, 70.0°F, was set in 1960. So, the average maximum temperature for this stretch is an astounding 8.3°F higher than anything observed in March during the 20th century.
How about average temperature? For the 8-day period ending yesterday (Wednesday, March 25), the average temperature was 64.2°F. The previous March record was 61.6°F set in 2017. The 20th century record, 57.8°F, was set in 1910. Thus, for average temperature the current 8-day stretch is 6.4°F warmer than anything observed in March during the 20th century.
I just pulled up the Alta website and noticed they are closing Wildcat and Collins Gulch early due to unseasonable warmth. |
| Source:Alta.com |
We are deep in uncharted territory. There is no historical analog for the current March heat wave. Nothing is even close.
Snowpack at the Snowbird SNOTEL appears to have already ripened and started rapid melt. As with just about every site in the state. I wonder how much longer the cottonwoods resorts can hold out.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Ben Lomond Peak will be fully melted by April 1 or shortly afterwards. Jun 1 was the average.
ReplyDeleteNo way wasatch front/back don't end up with major water issues in next decade or less. Pace of developement is absurd in this state. The idiotic mayflower/dv expansion with its h20 hungry 5 star hotels is just latest example in addition to the horror show going on in herriman etc. Another 3500 skyridge homes going in on jnell. The dakota pacific an larry h miller developments in pc, all the 2nd homes going up in coalville. Where the f is the h20 for this? Soencer cox busy praying for h2o š¤£Writing clearly on the wall.
ReplyDeleteAgreed but nearly every single one of us is responsible for this disaster-- every single person driving cars, flying airlines, riding chairlifts, heating and cooling our homes and offices in the past century. Only the very few truly living "off the grid" and "from the land" and abstaining from most of modern global economy can claim the high ground re: global warming. We are all the "good Germans" participating in a holocaust of the natural world-- especially those in the ski industry.
DeleteIn this state who voted overrule the will of the people in pc who did not want the dakota pacific developement? Answer: the MAJORITY MORMON LEGISLATURE. Yeah everone is the problem but certain groups have worked diligently to protect mormon developer, people like ken ivory's, profits over all else. This is a fact.
DeleteCorrupt incompetent mormon developer driven ut legislature!
ReplyDeleteAgain here-- Not a huge fan of the LDS church (as with most organized religions)... but really the guilt lies with corruption and development across-the-board, all over the country-- which we all utilize and profit from.
DeleteI'm all for Ds, progressivism, and critiques of right-wing/ big-business agendas... but this global climate degradation and heat crisis is **all** of our faults. Let's not forget that!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but one political party in this country actively fights any attempts to address climate change. Republicans are standing in the way of trying to fix the problem we all created.
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