drought
Colorado is expecting another explosive wildfire year, but the state may be more prepared this time
The state’s Wildfire Preparedness Plan, released Thursday, notes that even as 2021 is shaping up to repeat the chaos of last year, agencies are collaborating more and have better support.
Study: Drought-breaking rains more rare, erratic in Colorado and the West
The consequences of the intense dry periods that pummeled the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau were severe — more intense and dangerous wildfires, parched croplands and not enough vegetation to support livestock and wildlife. And it's getting worse.
Big March storms helped boost Colorado’s snowpack, but they weren’t enough to solve the long-term drought
Many of the major river basins are at or above average, but surveyors are worried that drought conditions won't improve
Colorado’s major snowstorm only made a dent in the drought. These maps and graphs explain what’s going on.
The South Platte and Arkansas river basins are closer to average after last week’s precipitation, but the Western Slope remains painfully dry.
Western states chart diverging paths as Colorado River water shortages loom
Republican lawmakers in Utah approved an entity that could push for more of their state's share of Colorado River water as seven Western states, including Colorado, prepare to negotiate how to sustain a river serving 40 million people.
Recent snowstorms are barely scratching the surface of Colorado’s ongoing drought
The state needed an above-average snow year this winter to reverse the drought’s momentum. Forecasts for the next few months aren’t optimistic, either.
Estimates of future Upper Colorado River Basin water use confound planning, report shows
Maybe it's time to give up on developing new Upper Basin projects, the Center for Colorado River Studies says, after all demand has been flat for three decades.
Colorado’s Water Plan has made progress toward ensuring supply, but the work’s far from done
Five years in, accelerating climate change and rapid population growth, not to mention a shortage of funding, have made the Colorado Water Plan's vision for the future more complex.
Climate change ravaged Colorado and the West with heat and drought in 2020. This year may be worse.
Coloradans also can look out their windows and see the “snow drought” forecasters are talking about when they say snow cover in the West is the worst it has been at any time in the last two decades.
14 Front Range cities coordinate to warn of water shortages in alarmingly dry year
Cities are watching snowpack and reservoir storage closely. The district serving Highlands Ranch says its reservoirs are 25% less full than is normal for this time of year.
Colorado’s ornery, independent water guardians finally agree on one thing: Wall Street can look elsewhere
It’s rare to see Front Range water managers like Denver Water and Northern Water joining counterparts on the Western Slope
Record low Lake Powell and bad 2021 drought forecast sets stage for water cuts
The Bureau of Reclamation’s dire projections for Colorado River Basin reservoirs for the first time triggers drought contingency planning across seven basin states.
Colorado governor releases final plan to reduce emissions by 90%. It’s still too vague, environmentalists say.
The Air Quality Control Commission is responsible for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from millions of vehicles and industrial and office buildings
Colorado’s statewide drought “pretty dire.” It’ll take more than a season’s snowfall to get out of it.
Rehydrating would require at least 10 to 20 inches of good precipitation in the next 6 months, but this season's snow totals are already well behind normal.
Opponents refuse to play on Branson’s hardscrabble football field. Now the town needs a(nother) miracle.
Can the small Colorado school district find a way to install a $400,000 artificial turf facility? History says don’t count them out.
Colorado activates municipal drought response for second time ever as water forecast worsens
Several cities say they are preparing for what is almost certainly going to be a dangerously dry 2021
On Edge: In a rural Eastern Plains community plagued by drought, stigma won’t be easy to overcome
Week after rainless week throughout the growing season has wounded not just local farmland, but also the emotional landscape
As pandemic hammers its finances, Vail pulls out of state cloud seeding program
Vail Resorts says it can't afford to cover 20% of the $1.5M Colorado spends to trigger more snow and ultimately more water.