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Show Area 1970 1960 Percent Change The State 1,059,273 890,627 + 18.9 Wasatch Front 821,689 665,530 + 23.5 Uinta Basin 19,983 18,761 + 6.5 Sevier River Drainage 36,962 39,094 - 5.5 More than 75 percent of the State's population resides along the Wasatch Front which comprises less than 5 percent of Utah's land area. Climate Generally, the Bonneville Basin portion of the Unit area has more favorable climate for agriculture than the Uinta Basin portion. Most of the agricultural areas in the Bonneville Basin are lower in elevation and have greater precipitation, higher temperatures and longer growing seasons than comparable areas in the Uinta Basin. Temperatures are lower and growing seasons shorter in the mountain valleys along streams entering the basins than those on the basin floors. Climatological data are recorded at Duchesne River stations in Uinta Basin at Hanna, Duchesne, and Myton. The mean annual precipitation recorded at these stations is 8.81 inches. The mean annual temperature is 44.3° F. with extremes ranging from 33° below zero to a high of 100° F. The average frost- free period is 113 days and the growing season averages about 157 days. These datal48 represent the closest available to the Strawberry Aqueduct System. Because of the Aqueduct's higher elevation, temperatures may be expected to be lower and the precipitation greater. Mean annual precipitation estimated for the mountain area of the Uinta Mountains varies from 18.7 inches recorded at Moon Lake to about 40 inches at Kings Peak. The mean annual temperature recorded at Moon Lake is 3802° F. with extremes ranging from 34° below zero to a high of 89° F0 Climatological data are recorded for the Wasatch Front area in the Bonneville Basin at stations located at Payson, Spanish Fork, Spanish Fork Powerplant, Nephi, Elberta, Provo, and Santaquin Powerplant. The mean annual precipitation recorded at the Wasatch Front stations is 14.28 inches. The mean annual temperature is 50.8° F. with extremes ranging from 22° below zero to a high of 107° F„ The average frost- free period is 149 days and the growing season averages about 198 days. These data would be typical of that found along the Jordan Aqueduct„ 113 |