U.S. Drought Monitor
Northwest Colorado under “extremely critical” fire warning for first time in 15 years as Western Slope drought worsens
About 45% of Colorado, all west of the Continental Divide, now in some state of drought
Nearly half of Colorado emerges from drought conditions while Western Slope remains dry and at risk for fire
Precipitation has quenched 48% of the state even as the Western Slope dries out
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.
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.
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.
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.
Despite recent snowstorms, Colorado’s drought conditions continue in “anomalous” direction
There were only seven other weeks in the past 20 years that have been as intensely dry as the state’s current status
Colorado’s drought keeps getting worse, with a quarter of the state now exceptionally dry
The long-term forecast for Colorado doesn’t look good, but experts say context is necessary.
All of Colorado is under drought status for the first time since 2013
Most of the state is in “severe drought,” with 17% in the most extreme category of “exceptional drought”
How coronavirus and drought have combined to affect Colorado’s limited water supply
While two of Colorado’s largest water providers noticed big drops in some use when the pandemic hit, those savings are now being erased as people water their parched grass
One-third of Colorado is now in a severe drought, mostly in the south
58 out of 64 counties are experiencing drier than normal conditions and that could mean wildfire trouble and result in crop losses
Colorado’s drought is at its lowest level in at least 19 years
The U.S. Drought Monitor released a report Thursday showing that just roughly eight square miles in Colorado -- or 0.01 percent of the state -- is under abnormal dryness. And that might just be from a map-drawing error.
Colorado’s drought situation continues to improve, with just 11% of the state under dry conditions
Snowpack still is at 155% of average and the slow melt is allowing more water to be captured in reservoirs drawn nearly dry last year
Drought has revealed for the first time a Colorado town flooded to build a reservoir. And scientists expect to see it again.
All of the town of Iola has been revealed for the first time since it was inundated in 1966, but water experts say they expect it to happen again and again as the effects of climate change worsen
All of this snow is great, but it will likely be months before we know the impact on Colorado’s drought
Snowpack levels in arid southwest Colorado are below normal so far this year, though much better than at the same point in 2017
Colorado’s drought persists, with abnormally dry conditions covering 83 percent of the state
A bright spot in the data is Colorado's snowpack, which is above the average and the normal for this time of year
El Nino weather pattern could bring drought relief to Colorado, broader southwestern U.S.
Weather researchers also say higher-than-average precipitation in the region is not likely to make up for growing rainfall deficits over the past year
Colorado drought gets worse, especially in state’s southwest corner
About 32 percent of the state is in extreme drought
