Utah has come to exemplify climate change’s snowballing effects. Snow drought and heat waves primed the land to burn, then fires raised the risk of floods.A helicopter drops water on the Cottonwood Fire burning near Beaver, Utah, on June 27.Noah Berger / AP fileAug. 3, 2026, 7:00 PM EDTUtah can’t catch a break. Over the winter, the state’s snowpack topped out at a dismal, historic low. Then a March heat wave zapped what little snow was left, prompting a statewide drought emergency. After that came dry thunderstorms, which sent wind-whipped fires racing across Utah in June, one of which became the sixth-largest in state history. Just a moment.We are getting your experience ready.
Drought, heat, fire, floods: In Utah, climate disasters just keep compounding
Utah has come to exemplify climate change’s snowballing effects. Snow drought and heat waves primed the land to burn, then fires raised the risk of floods.
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