Bone-dry winter continues into 2026

January, 2026 was another bone-dry month in San Juan County, with winter snows almost non-existent. The result is growing concern about water needs in the coming months.
The often wet and snowy months of February and March still give time to reverse the trend, but concerns are growing. In most years, winter storms build snow-pack that melts in the spring and recharges area reservoirs.
However, at this point in the winter of 2026, there is only four inches of snow at the Camp Jackson Snotel site in the Abajo Mountains. The limited snow holds 2.2 inches of water, just 24 percent of the average amount of water at this time.
Across Utah, the snow totals are at or near record low levels. In total, 31 percent of the 140 Utah snotel sites are reporting their worst or second-worst amount of snowpack.
In southeast Utah, the snowpack is 43 percent of average for the date, while in southwest Colorado, the snowpack is 49 percent of normal. Southwest Colorado generates significant runoff into the San Juan and Colorado rivers basins.
It has been not only dry, but also warmer than normal. In Monticello, the average high in January was 47.4 degrees, which is the highest average over the past ten years. It was the same in December in Monticello.
Similarly, the average low temperature in Monticello was 20.5 degrees in January, the highest average low in ten years. This comes on the heels of the highest average low temperature in December.
Through January 31, Monticello has received just 7.3 inches of snow for the winter. This is also the lowest total in the past ten years.
It is the dryest winter since 2018, when the water content in the Camp Jackson snow was just 1.8 inches. Several storms in February and March of 2018 lessened the drought fears.
A few indicators give some hope in 2026. While snowpack conditions are in dire straits so far this winter, year-to-date precipitation totals are higher than normal in many areas.
For instance, Blanding averages 5.08 inches of precipitation for the four months between October 1 and January 31. This year, Blanding has received 6.17 inches, primarily due to the wet October that brought significant rainfall to the area. The result was good soil moisture content going into the winter months.
Similarly, total precipitation since October at Camp Jackson is 116 percent of average, among the three wettest year-to-date totals in ten years. The majority of this precipitation is rain and soaked into the soil as it fell.
Area reservoirs are dependent on water from melting snow pack. With little or no snow, area reservoirs may not be able to recharge this year.
The result may be little to no irrigation for farmers, limited water for lawns and gardens, and even concern about the use of treated culinary water.