Drought

Utah’s drought conditions could deteriorate even more as temperatures start to climb. NOAA’s latest seasonal outlook expects above-average heat through July.

Between new technology, funding and the Legislature's backing, “Utah is climbing its way to one of the best programs in the world,” said the director of the state's cloud seeding program.

Because a lot of water from the San Rafael River gets used upstream, more of its path through southeast Utah is drying up. That’s transforming the river’s flow patterns and leaving native fish stranded. But scientists are testing ways to give them a better chance at survival.

Northern and Southern Utah have been in two different worlds over the winter when it comes to snowpack.

Drought conditions statewide are now the worst they’ve been in nearly two years, and local water leaders want to make sure that message sinks in with Utahns.

There was little respite from the heat in Utah last year, even with overnight lows. Salt Lake City, Bountiful, Provo and Kanab all saw their warmest minimum temperatures on record, too.

Utah is launching a new multimillion-dollar program that pays farmers to leave their irrigation water in the Colorado River — and tracks where that saved water ends up.

Inflation Reduction Act money helped save water in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin. President-elect Donald Trump appears poised to take away that funding.

The seven states that share the shrinking river are deeply divided about new rules for its future. They met in Las Vegas for the annual Colorado River Water Users Association, or CRWUA, conference.

As the Colorado River Water Users Association gathers, the seven river states are like kids coming home to a family reunion. Policy watchers are frustrated with their level of disagreement.

Farm irrigation uses a lot of water across the West. In one Utah community, however, farmers already grow crops without any irrigation. It might seem like an answer to the state's water woes, but the reality is not so simple.

Alfalfa dominates Utah farm fields. It also takes a lot of irrigation. So, some farmers and ranchers in Utah’s Colorado River Basin are experimenting with alternative crops that might help agriculture diversify and survive in a future with less water.