weather

The Colorado River starts as mountain snow, but climate change has made it harder to predict how much will flow into streams every year. A new study says springtime sun, rain and plants could make it easier.

Although Utah’s reservoirs are in good shape now, soil dried out by the summer heat could mean water problems for the runoff next spring if monsoons don’t pick up.

How much rain? Salt Lake City, Spanish Fork, Provo and Lehi all recorded more rain on Monday and Tuesday than in a typical entire month of August.

St. George and other southern Utah hot spots experienced relentless heat in July. Scientists say it’s another sign of how climate change — fueled by greenhouse gas emissions — is impacting Utah.

The monsoon has fizzled so far this year in Utah. Even so, it’s “been a tale of two summers” where northern Utah has been drier than the southern end of the state.

Tourists continue to flock to parks in Utah and other southwestern states during the hottest months of the year, even as officials caution that hiking in extreme heat poses serious health risks.

“It's happening now. We're experiencing it,” said a Utah researcher. Heat higher than historical averages is another sign of how climate change is impacting the state one step at a time.

Utah State University is partnering with the National Integrated Heat Health Information System to continue to provide heat mapping data and improve forecasting accuracy.

Thunderstorms are hopscotching around the Southwestern U.S., bringing much-needed moisture to a region where every drop counts.

The traditional water cycle diagram in many K-12 classrooms doesn’t reflect what’s happening in the real world, said Brigham Young University ecology professor Ben Abbott, and doesn’t reflect modern climate.

The hot, dry outlook for this summer’s rainy season shows Utah’s recent string of wetter-than-average years may be coming to an end.

The latest outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center predicts above-normal potential for significant fires in southwest and northwest Utah this summer.