OAN Staff Jenna Lee
3:48 PM – Thursday, May 21, 2026
Utah GOP Governor Spencer Cox issued a state of emergency for the Beehive State on Thursday as extreme drought conditions now grip over 60% of Utah.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Utah’s water crisis has escalated dramatically since last year, when 42% of the state faced severe drought and just 3% reached the “extreme” threshold.
“Our snowpack provides 95% of Utah’s water supply. This winter, that supply fell short of what Utah needs. We are now relying heavily on reservoir storage, which remains at 70% capacity thanks to careful management during wetter years. But those reserves are being drawn down faster than we’d like. I urge every Utahn to treat water as the precious resource it is,” said Cox (R-Utah).
The Utah Division of Water Resources reported that the state’s vital winter snowpack peaked three weeks early on March 9th, topping out at a record-low 8.4 inches of snow water equivalent — roughly half of what the state typically accumulates by early April.
This dramatic shortfall has triggered a severe crisis, with 22 of Utah’s 29 counties now pushed into the “extreme” drought category. Joel Williams, the division’s director, emphasized the gravity of the situation, noting that the data leaves no room for doubt that Utah is enduring one of the worst droughts in its recorded history.
In response, local water districts are aggressively enforcing conservation measures, and several municipalities are enacting strict usage limits. The small town of Emery was even forced to completely shut off its outdoor watering systems to preserve its culinary drinking water supply.
Meanwhile, residents in the state’s capital are straining urban resources at an alarming rate, prompting Laura Briefer, director of Salt Lake City Public Utilities, to warn that current consumer demand looks more like the peak of June than the spring.
Salt Lake City Public Utilities has already implemented Stage 2 drought restrictions to curb outdoor watering. The state’s top water user, agriculture, is already having water reductions forced on them.
Briefer told Fox 13 News, “I really want to ask our residents to be very deliberate about their water use. Reduce their outdoor watering. That’s going to keep us in Stage 2 and not go into Stage 3 with mandatory restrictions.”
Matt Hargraves of the Utah Farm Bureau also noted that “farmers and ranchers are the first to see these cuts.”
“You’ll see reduced amounts of fruits and other crops like that. As far as our livestock producers? They’ll be making difficult decisions right now. Do they have enough feed to feed their animals? Do they have to sell herds right now?” said Matt Hargraves of the Utah Farm Bureau in an interview with Fox News.
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