Utah’s Natural Resources Conservation Service said that’s 39% below the level on May 1 2024, and a 28% drop from April of this year.
With early snowmelt, the NCRS said the state’s rivers could set a new record for low peak flow.
The East Fork of the Virgin River’s forecasted peak flow percentile is zero and could hit its lowest peak flow since 1970, when Utah started tracking stream levels.
The lackluster runoff predictions and below-normal watershed levels come as over half of Utah’s 29 counties are suffering from drought.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports the amount of water flowing into Lake Powell between April and July this year is expected to be 55% of average.
That’s still better than 2021, when the reservoir experienced its lowest levels since 1969.
Part of the low runoff prediction is due to dry soil conditions above Lake Powell. Dry soil soaks up water from melting snow that would otherwise make it into the Colorado River and ultimately into the reservoir.
Last month Gov. Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency due to drought for over half the state’s counties, including all three states Lake Powell runs through.
