Don’t let last week’s ample rains fool you. Utah remains dangerously parched with water stores severely depleted, natural habitats stressed and woodlands primed for burning, according to an emergency declaration issued Monday by Gov. Gary Herbert.
“The rainfall we have received helps, but the drought is at a level unseen for many years and will not be solved with a small series of storms,” the governor said in a news release. “In some areas, the drought is at, or near, historic levels.”
Hardest hit is San Juan County, which is experiencing “exceptional” drought, according to the federal Drought Monitor.