Has it rained enough in Salt Lake City?
Four showers have passed over in three weeks. Every one wet the leaves and was gone by lunchtime — none of it reached the roots.
Salt Lake City has had 11.9mm of rain in the last 30 days. A normal August here brings 15.3mm, so the ground is roughly where it should be for the time of year.
Rain in Salt Lake City through a normal year
Across a normal year Salt Lake City gets about 508.8mm of rain, most of it in April (69.2mm) and least in July (8.2mm).
That makes Salt Lake City one of the drier places this site covers in the United States in August — 26th of 30, against Tampa at the wet end (191.8mm) and Sacramento at the dry end (1.8mm).
What that means for what you grow
- Pots and hanging basketsWorst hit, and first to suffer. Very little soil, fully exposed, and nothing to fall back on — in this weather they can empty in a day.
- Salad and leafy vegShallow-rooted and quick to bolt once they run dry. First priority of anything in the ground.
- Beds and bordersA long soak that reaches the roots is worth more than a daily sprinkle, which only wets the surface and is gone by lunchtime.
- Established shrubs and treesFine as they are. They draw from far deeper than a dry spell reaches.
Your own garden, not the town average
This page is worked out for Salt Lake City as a whole. Your garden has its own soil, its own shade and its own planting, and the front page will use your exact location instead.
Check my garden