Great Salt Lake, UT, Loses Two-Thirds of its Volume Since 1987 Ski resorts in Utah have long been hailed as having some of the best snow on Earth. Resorts such as Alta and Snowbird regularly see average annual snowfall totals north of 500 inches of light, dry snow. This is no coincidence, as these mammoth totals are largely thanks to a phenomenon known as the lake effect, in which cold air […] Brains Kien Warren | December 16, 2025 0 Comments
Dust Produced by the Shrinking Great Salt Lake is Harming the Utah Snowpack The Great Salt Lake and the effect it has on winter storms, commonly referred to as ‘Lake Effect’, is one of the biggest reasons that Utah is credited with the greatest snow on Earth. Lake effect occurs when a cold winter storm passes over a warm body of water and picks up water from the lake, causing an increase in […] Industry News Tyler Hatch | July 10, 2023 1 Comment
Utah’s Great Salt Lake Could Disappear by 2027 The Great Salt Lake in Utah is currently losing water at a rate of 1.2 million acre-feet per year. This equates to over 391,021,130,000 gallons of water disappearing from the lake per year. Several universities and environmental organizations wrote a report this year sounding the alarm about this potential ecological catastrophe. They claim that if the lake continues to shrink […] Brains Riley McDonald | January 13, 2023 5 Comments
NASA: The Great Shrinking Salt Lake Few other lakes in the United States rival the Great Salt Lake in size and significance. It is the largest saline lake in the country and the eighth-largest in the world (by area). Home to extensive brine shrimp and salt harvesting operations, magnesium mining, and recreational activities, the lake contributes an estimated $1.5 billion to Utah’s economy. Its shallow waters […] SnowBrains | August 15, 2022 3 Comments
In Utah, the Great Salt Lake is Shrinking and it Could Have Catastrophic Consequences The modern oasis of the Great Salt Lake is being threatened. Last summer the lake recorded its lowest level on record, and it doesn’t appear the trend is changing anytime soon. In the 1980s, the lake’s surface area covered 3,300 square miles. Today it covers less than 1,000 square miles according to the U.S Geological Survey. That means it has […] Industry News Brent Glogau | June 13, 2022 5 Comments
NASA: In July Great Salt Lake, UT, Reached Lowest Level Ever Recorded and Has Kept Dropping This story first appeared on NASA Earth Observatory and was written by Michael Carlowicz. In late July 2021, the Great Salt Lake in Utah reached its lowest water level on record, and it has continued dropping since then. On July 23, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge at the Saltair boat harbor at the southern end of the lake recorded […] WeatherBrains | August 18, 2021 0 Comments
Utah’s Great Salt Lake Reaches Lowest Water Level Ever Recorded Extreme drought has caused the southern portion of Utah’s Great Salt Lake to reach its lowest-ever recorded water level. It’s a concerning milestone for the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River and the largest natural salt lake in the western hemisphere. On Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey announced average daily water levels had dropped about an inch below […] Martin Kuprianowicz | July 29, 2021 0 Comments
The Great Salt Lake is Shrinking, Fast. Utah’s Great Salt Lake is shrinking, and fast. A lake that was once the size of Delaware is shrinking at an alarming rate and is in jeopardy of reaching its lowest water level ever recorded. The lake, which is approximately 35 feet deep, is being affected by a historic drought that is devastating much of the Western United States. Increasing […] Jacob Chapin | July 15, 2021 2 Comments
Rare Sighting of Wolverine on Antelope Island, UT It is estimated that there are only between 250-300 wolverines left in the contiguous United States today. They’re rarely seen in Utah and almost never photographed outside of captivity. But on Tuesday, May 4, one was spotted in Utah—in a very unlikely place. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, visitors to Antelope Island State Park took photos and videos of a hairy, […] SnowBrains | May 12, 2021 0 Comments
Wasatch Dispatch: Dawn Patrolling | Fresh Snow & the Fast Crew After an endless dry spell (ok… like 10 days) a quick hitting cold front moved through dropping 20 to 25 cm of dry Utah powder. Great Salt Lake even got in on the action firing off a few convective showers of the fabled “lake effect”. Reason enough to get out early; time for a dawn patrol. Upper Little Cottonwood came […] Trip Report John Solder | December 14, 2018 0 Comments
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