Utah just had its warmest winter in 131 years of records

Utah’s ski season took a historic hit

Utah just wrapped up its warmest winter in at least 131 years of statewide climate records, according to federal data released in March 2026.

The heat hit resorts hard, cut skier visits, and hurt local businesses that depend on snow. It also left the state’s water supply in a tough spot heading into summer.

For Utah’s ski industry, which generated about $2.51 billion last season, this winter was one for the wrong reasons.

Salt Lake City broke its temperature record

Salt Lake City averaged 40.7 degrees this winter, 7.6 degrees above normal. That’s the warmest since the city started keeping records in 1874.

The previous record, set in 2014-15, was 38.5 degrees. This season beat it by more than two degrees.

The warmth was not just a valley problem.

Mountain areas also ran far above normal, pushing the rain-snow line higher and delivering rain where resorts count on powder.

Snowpack dropped near record lows

Utah’s statewide snowpack sat at 62% of normal as of early March, according to Ski Utah.

Snowpack hit its lowest point in early February since the SNOTEL monitoring system began in 1980, according to the Utah Snow Survey.

About 30% of Utah’s 140 SNOTEL sites reported their worst or second-worst snowpack levels ever recorded. Six major river basins across the state hit record-low snow water equivalent.

Two very different winters, same mountains

The story looked different depending on how high you climbed. Above 9,000 feet, snow levels stayed close to normal.

Below about 7,500 feet, conditions were far worse, with many areas struggling to hold any meaningful snowpack.

A University of Utah researcher described it as two different winters happening in the Wasatch at the same time. Storms did arrive, but at lower elevations, precipitation fell as rain instead of snow.

Three resorts missed their Christmas openings

Nordic Valley, Cherry Peak, and Beaver Mountain all missed their Christmas openings for the first time in years. Nordic Valley paused operations multiple times this season due to low snow at its base.

Alta Ski Area, typically one of Utah’s snowiest resorts, reported only 143 inches of snow by late January, nearly half its normal total for that point in the season.

Ski Utah’s president said several resorts would likely be closed right now without snowmaking at elevations below 9,500 feet.

Vail Resorts reports its worst winter in decades

Vail Resorts, which owns Park City Mountain Resort, reported that skier visits at its North American properties fell 11.9% through March 1 compared to the previous year.

CEO Rob Katz called this the most challenging winter the company has ever faced across the Rockies, with the lowest snowfall in more than 30 years at its Colorado and Utah resorts.

By late February, only 70% to 80% of terrain at Vail’s Colorado and Utah properties was open.

Local shops felt it too

The pain spread well past the slopes. One Utah ski shop owner told a local radio station that powder ski rentals were down about 90%, and the shop spent the winter renting rock climbing shoes instead.

That same owner said most shops across Utah are having a really rough year.

Employees at lower-elevation resorts also lost hours or moved on to other work when resorts could not open on time in December. Ski school, dining, and rental revenue all fell across the board.

Last season set a high bar

Three seasons ago, Utah had its best winter on record, with 903 inches of snow at its snowiest areas and 7.1 million skier days.

Last season was solid too, with 6.5 million skier days and about $2.51 billion in skier and snowboarder spending statewide.

That spending supported roughly 31,800 direct jobs and generated about $342.6 million in state and local tax revenue. This season’s struggles show how quickly those numbers can fall when snow does not show up.

Season passes helped, but only so much

Vail Resorts said its advance-purchase Epic Pass model helped soften the financial blow.

Pass holders pay before the season starts, regardless of conditions, and they make up about 75% of visits at Vail properties. Pass sales were also up about 3% heading into this season.

But prepaid passes could not protect against drops in on-mountain spending. Ski school revenue, dining, and rental income all fell because fewer people showed up to ski.

Water supply could take the biggest hit

Utah gets about 95% of its water supply from snowmelt.

State reservoirs, not counting Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge, are about two-thirds full, down from last year.

Federal officials warned in the March water supply report that spring runoff could be near record lows in several basins.

Low snowpack could also dry out soil and vegetation earlier than normal, raising the risk of wildfires this summer.

What’s coming next for Utah’s ski future

As of mid-March, forecasters see high pressure largely in control for the next two weeks, with little snow expected.

Utah’s snowpack typically peaks in late March or early April, but catching up to normal levels would need a big turnaround fast.

The 2034 Winter Olympics are on the horizon for Utah, and researchers have flagged potential challenges for lower-elevation events if warming trends continue.

Whether this season is an outlier or a sign of things to come depends on the winters ahead.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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