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SALT LAKE CITY Utah s ongoing drought situation has gotten severe enough that Gov. Spencer Cox has issued multiple drought-related executive orders regarding it as communities across the state have also warned about overconsumption.
There are also signs of how dry it s gotten in Utah. Just last week, the Great Salt Lake temporarily reached its lowest levels on record.
Yes and no.
It s complicated and the answer may depend on what you consider drought and how far back you go in history. Regardless, experts say the conditions do paint a bleak picture of the current conditions and possible future for Utah.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
Just as the freshly vaccinated start to resume barbecues and vacation travel
in the coming months, wildfires are likely to force residents of Western states back inside.
The warning signs are written in the parched landscape from New Mexico to California. This time last year, 27 percent of the West was in drought
now
that has risen to 76 percent, turning forests into matchsticks.
With the pandemic dominating headlines, the severity of the drought has gotten little attention for how bad it has become. “This one threatens to catch people by surprise who are exhausted by the events of the past year,” said
David Sucsy/iStock/Getty Images Overly dry conditions are affecting big portions of the U.S. – how much improvement is possible by planting season?
The wintertime drought footprint looks worrisome in many areas, but the silver lining is that no crops are being planted in the central U.S. just yet. Still, the current situation will be important to monitor as winter rolls into spring.
Through February 2, data from the U.S. drought monitor showed 64.4% of the country was affected by some level of moisture deficit, ranging from D0 (abnormally dry) to D4 (exceptional drought). That’s slightly below the worst seasonal levels, but the country has consistently been covered by at least 60% since last September.