If your back is hurting from shoveling or that rear fender is dented, take a deep breath and realize all this Utah snow is a good thing.
White-knuckled commutes, power outages and late school starts are the talk of the day when it comes to the blistering snowstorm that swamped Utah Tuesday into Wednesday. But the more important thing to remember is the mountains, our reservoirs, streams and rivers all need this.
“We will take all the water we can get,” said Michael Wessler, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. “We are experiencing a long duration multiyear drought and it’s not just one winter season to get out of that.”
And while Wessler said the state did not set any records for the voluminous snowfall, Utahns were certainly animated about the effects of the storm.
“I’m ready to move,” Holladay resident Paul Baker said as he shoveled his driveway, disappointed that his children were home from school.
Logan Collister especially hates the deep snow, being a postal carrier.
“Luckily, it’s my day off, but otherwise, it’s a long day,” he said, pushing a snowblower across the sidewalk in front of his home in Holladay. “And I hate walking through all this snow.”
The National Weather Service of Salt Lake City’s Twitter account blew up with all sorts of extraordinary posts showing the storm’s impact.
Wessler said the storm’s not over, with a smattering of snow expected into Thursday and a continued unsettled weather pattern.
Perhaps people have been spoiled because last February was bone dry, but Wessler said if this active pattern keeps up, it’s a good thing.
“So we’re really, really taking advantage of the active pattern and the cold, active pattern to continue building that snowpack,” he said. “We hope to do so through mid-April.”
Despite slow commutes and power outages, many Utahns are grateful for some relief from the drought.
“With our precipitation levels over the past couple of years, I love it,” college student Spencer McDougal said after snowblowing his neighbor’s front walkway.
Contractor Brian Crockett agreed.
“I used to go to Lake Powell every year, and it’s been so low — it’s terrible. So I hope the snow helps a lot,” he said.
Many skiers, like Tom Cotter, don’t mind straining their backs to clear their driveways if it means more days of fresh powder.
“I’m a big time skier, so it’s fantastic,” Cotter said. “In fact, I’m heading up skiing here as soon as I can heal my back and get this snow picked up.”
Wessler and his colleagues have been closely monitoring the conditions, and so far this winter they’re pleased with what they have seen.
“I will say that we are already well above average for our annual snowfall and this has just continued to push us above average for snowfall. So we’re certainly doing well as far as low elevation valley snowfall this winter and especially with this storm,” he said, adding, “it is definitely a much needed strong winter.”