Governor Asks Utahns To “Seek Help From a Higher Power” Amid Lackluster Winter

In river basins across the state, the snowpack is well below the median.

Ian Greenwood
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powder.com
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January 27, 2026

Amid an often snowless season that’s stifled ski conditions in Utah, the state’s Governor, Spencer Cox, has a recommendation for locals: look upwards.

“I invite all Utahns to seek help from a higher power and do our part to conserve water,” he announced on social media on Monday.

Cox said, “We’re grateful to the faith communities across Utah who are coming together this week to pray for snow,” adding that “With more than 90% of our state experiencing drought and snowpack well below normal, this is a moment for unity.”

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Snow water equivalents across Utah on January 26, 2026.
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It is true that Utah could use snow. While there have been periods that produced some welcome powder, the story of this winter has, for the most part, involved dry slopes. Many ski resorts delayed their opening dates as the season got underway. Now, they’re waiting for the next storm.

In basins across the state, the snow water equivalent—a measure of the water content in the snow—is well below the median, according to data compiled by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. And earlier this week, Chase Thomason, a local meteorologist, shared that Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City, had seen less than an inch of snow so far.

“Salt Lake City is now 30 inches below average,” he wrote in a social media post. “Winter took the year off.”

KSLNewsRadio reported that the lowest snowfall record in the Salt Lake Valley was established nearly a century ago, during the 1933-34 season, when 14.3 inches of snow fell. The outlet also reported that the record could be broken this year.

For Cox, himself a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it wasn’t the first time he’d asked Utahns to pray about the weather. In June 2025, the ask involved rain as drought and wildfire conditions escalated.

“I invite every Utahn, whatever your faith or belief system, to join me this Sunday in a unified fast and prayer for rain,” he said in a statement at the time.

The near future doesn’t look great for skiers. In an outlook published by the Climate Prediction Center that covers the time between February 3 and February 9, Utah is leaning towards seeing below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures.