Gov. Cox declared a ‘day of prayer and thanksgiving’ at Utah’s record ice cap.

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SALT LAKE CITY – After earlier calling on people of all faiths to pray for rain, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is calling on Utahns to pray again, but this time to give thanks for all the rain that has fallen in Utah this water year.

The governor on Thursday declared Sunday a “day of prayer and thanksgiving” in light of Utah’s record-breaking snowfall and “good” snowmelt runoff, which is now complete.

“I believe prayer can be a powerful tool. There is real power in people of all faiths and backgrounds coming together and asking for help from a higher authority than ourselves,” the governor said in a statement. “I also believe that those who pray for water save water, and we must continue to save it.”

Cox first called on Utahns of all faiths to pray for rain in June 2021, as 90% of the state is in increasing drought conditions and low snowpack. The U.S. Drought Monitor reports about two-thirds of the state is in “exceptional” drought at the time.

During last summer’s strong monsoon, Utah’s drought conditions were not as bad as they were in June 2021 at the start of the 2023 water year, but still not great. Severe drought conditions continue to hit more than half of Utah as of October 1, 2022. The U.S. Drought Monitor lists 40% of the state as being in severe drought at the time.

At the start of the water year, Utah’s reservoir system is about 43% depleted.

However, that’s also when Utah’s fortunes began to change. A series of troughs of low pressure began to hit Utah at the end of the month and, aside from a few lulls here and there, didn’t last until April.

Utah’s 30-inch statewide snow cover was the most snowpack ever recorded during a snowpack season since data was first tracked in the 1930s. Some resorts received more than 900 inches of snowfall during the season for the first time on record.

Utah ended May with an average of 12.44 inches of rain, putting it on pace for its 13th-wettest year on record, according to the National Weather Service. Agency records date back to 1895.

Then a different set of warm but not too hot conditions and cloud cover led to more efficient snowmelt, helping Utah’s reservoir system reach 86% capacity as of Thursday. The U.S. Drought Monitor now lists 10.4% of Utah as moderate drought and another 37.5% as “abnormally dry,” but more than half of the state does not have a drought designation.

That’s why Cox is calling Utahns to pray again – this time giving thanks for the rain.

“We believe there is real power in people of different faiths and backgrounds coming together and pleading with a higher authority to help them,” the statement read in part. “We want to express our gratitude and appreciation for the water our region has received.”

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