Utah Tests NASA Snow-Mapping Tech to Improve Water Supply Forecasts

The state's new 'Wings Over Weber' pilot combines airborne measurements with existing forecasting tools to give water planners a fuller picture of snow conditions across the Weber River Basin.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 4:33pm

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Utah water managers are testing a NASA-developed snow-mapping system in the Weber River Basin as they look for sharper forecasts of how much water the state's mountain snowpack will deliver to rivers, reservoirs, and the Great Salt Lake. The new 'Wings Over Weber' pilot combines airborne measurements with existing forecasting tools to give water planners a fuller picture of snow conditions across an entire basin, rather than relying only on ground-based surveys and fixed monitoring stations.

Why it matters

Snowpack drives most of Utah's water supply, with about 95% of the state's available water coming from snowpack. Accurate measurement of snow depth and snow water equivalent is central to reservoir operations, water allocation, and drought planning. The new airborne technology can capture snow depth and albedo across mountainous terrain at high resolution to improve runoff forecasts.

The details

The technology at the center of the project was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is now operated by Airborne Snow Observatories. The system combines LiDAR, imaging spectrometers, and other remote sensors to map snow depth, snow water equivalent, and albedo. The Weber Basin project is scheduled as a three-year pilot running from 2025 through 2027, with two to three flyover surveys each year. The first of two planned 2026 aerial surveys was completed on March 8, and the data will be incorporated into advanced snowpack modeling used to generate seasonal water supply forecasts for the basin.

  • The Weber Basin project is scheduled as a three-year pilot running from 2025 through 2027.
  • The first of two planned 2026 aerial surveys was completed on March 8, 2026.

The players

Utah Division of Water Resources

The state agency leading the 'Wings Over Weber' pilot project in collaboration with other partners.

Airborne Snow Observatories

The company that operates the NASA-developed snow-mapping technology being used in the project.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The NASA facility that developed the snow-mapping technology at the center of the project.

Weber Basin Water Conservancy District

A partner in the 'Wings Over Weber' pilot project.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

A partner in the 'Wings Over Weber' pilot project and provider of grant funding.

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What they’re saying

“This partnership represents a critical step forward in our efforts to understand and manage our snowpack. By utilizing this new technology, we can gain insights into our snowpack, which is crucial to our water supply.”

— Joel Williams, Director, Utah Division of Water Resources (Utah Division of Water Resources)

What’s next

The Utah Division of Water Resources says the 'Wings Over Weber' pilot project is scheduled to continue with two to three aerial surveys per year through 2027, with the data being used to improve seasonal water supply forecasts for the Weber River Basin.

The takeaway

Utah's new 'Wings Over Weber' project demonstrates how advanced snow-mapping technology developed by NASA can be leveraged by water managers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the state's critical snowpack, leading to better-informed decisions about reservoir operations, water allocation, and drought response.