This picture is from last year. Until today, we have sure been low on snow, haven't we? Because it's been so warm a lot of the snow we have had has been pretty wet. Usually Utah really does have the greatest snow on earth. It's light and powdery because of our dry climate.
We also (usually) get a lot of snow because because of the geography of our area. The storms we get here in Utah are formed out over the Pacific Ocean. Remember day 15 where we talked about evaporation, condensation, and precipitation? These storms travel across the continent, not bumping into any significant barriers until they reach the Wasatch mountain range which has peaks up to about 12,000 feet.
When these storm clouds get to the Salt Lake area they get even heavier because of the Great Salt Lake. Because the Great Salt Lake is relatively shallow (about 33 feet deep) and has a large surface area, it heats up faster than other deeper lakes. Remember Day 17? When the cold winds blow over the warmer water, the clouds passing overhead suck up the water vapors and produce even more precipitation. That precipitation falls as snow. Beautiful snow!
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