One Hundred Years of Utah Climate BY D O N R.
MURPHY
A . s A CHILD MANY A U T A H N has probably sat at grandfather's knee and heard him tell stories of years past when he was a lad and the winters were much colder and the snowfall was much deeper than at present There may or may not be a basis for grandfather's claims because within Utah, and other midlatitude settings where economic activities and h u m a n responses are adjusted to great seasonal variations, comparisons can and often are made between the various summer or winter seasons. Thus, Utah's octogenarian and nonagenarian citizens are prone to recall certain winters as having had especially heavy snowfalls, certain Januarys with extremely cold temperatures, or certain summers that were especially hot or dry, or both. In attempting to recall climatic conditions of childhood days the senior citizen is apt to remember most those years of extreme conditions and having not experienced such extremes lately may conclude that Utah's climate is undergoing change. If Utah's climate is indeed changing, this change should be verifiable by referring to past monthly and annual temperature and precipitation statistics. 1 If the statistics indicate that no dramatic change has occurred, the misimpression of "rougher winters in the past" may be due to man's advancing technology that more and more helps us to overcome our physical environment. Such technological advances now allow us to travel in heated automobiles on well-maintained highways instead of open buggies along snow-drifted lanes or relax through hot summers in air-conditioned homes instead of spending such summers suffering through what seemed like endless hot days and sleepless nights. Dr. M u r p h y is professor of geography at Weber State College, Ogden. See U.S. D e p a r t m e n t of Commerce, Weather Bureau, Local Climatological Lake City (Washington, D . C . : Government Printing Office, 1875-). 1
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