Utah’s run of moisture over the past three and a half months continues to chip away at its drought. Over 90% of the state remains in drought, but the percentage in severe or worse drought slid from 62% to 51% over the past week, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported on Thursday. Only 13.5% remains in extreme drought. The ongoing reduction comes as Utah’s mountain snowpack sites have, on average, now collected more than 12 inches of precipitation since July 15. … Higher soil moisture levels can improve snowpack runoff efficiency in the spring, and snowpack accounts for 95% of the state’s water supply. … As for drought conditions, nearly 95% of the state was in severe or worse drought by mid-July, including almost 40% in extreme or exceptional drought. … So why has it taken so long to chip away at drought conditions with all this rain? The answer is both simple and incredibly complex, the authors of the U.S. Drought Monitor explained, as they pulled back their virtual curtain to explain exactly how drought is calculated.

Other Southwest storm and drought news:

• The Salt Lake Tribune: A Halloween weekend storm could jump-start Utah’s 2026-27 ski season. The rest of the forecast is a little spookier.
• 9News (Denver, Colo.): Storm to bring heavy rain, mountain snow to Colorado on Halloween weekend
• OpenSnow: Blog: October 30-November 2 storm Favors California, Utah, and Colorado