It may be a new year, but Colorado’s statewide drought will be baggage it carries well into 2021. More than a quarter of the state is in the worst level of drought, and with snowpack significantly below what’s expected this time of year — especially on the Western Slope — scientists are warning that it […]
U.S. Drought Monitor
Posted inClimate, Environment, News
Despite recent snowstorms, Colorado’s drought conditions continue in “anomalous” direction
There’s no way to water this down: Colorado is really, really dry right now. Thursday’s drought monitor report estimates that 27.22% of the state is in “exceptional” drought, a category indicating drought conditions that historically have occurred every 50 years. This is up from 24.64% last week. The week-to-week increase came mostly from the southwestern […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News
Colorado’s drought keeps getting worse, with a quarter of the state now exceptionally dry
November in Colorado is usually a time for hyping up the winter powder season, speculating on how many snow days students will get and generally looking forward to flaky, fluffy precipitation. But with almost 25% of the state classified in “exceptional” drought status, as of the latest drought monitor report released Thursday, and little reprieve […]
Posted inEnvironment, News
All of Colorado is under drought status for the first time since 2013
The results are in: All of Colorado is, to some degree or another, in a drought. As of the U.S. drought monitor’s latest update on Thursday, every part of Colorado is in at least moderate drought, with 16.72% in the most severe category of “exceptional,” mostly on the Western Slope. The state has not been […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Environment, News
How coronavirus and drought have combined to affect Colorado’s limited water supply
In the battle for Colorado’s precious water resources, there turns out to be no contest: Between drought and pandemic, drought wins every time. While two of the largest water providers in Colorado noticed big drops in certain kinds of water use early on in the coronavirus pandemic, those savings are now overwhelmed by residents and […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government, Wildfire
One-third of Colorado is now in a severe drought, mostly in the south
Drought conditions are setting in across most of Colorado, and that has top state officials worried about wildfire, crop losses and water restrictions. Nearly 83% of Colorado is experiencing abnormally dry conditions and 33% is reporting extreme or severe drought, as of Tuesday, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported, up slightly from the week before. A […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Water
Colorado’s drought is at its lowest level in at least 19 years
The drought outlook in Colorado is the best it has been in at least 19 years, with the smallest area of the state being listed under some kind of dry status since June 5, 2001. That’s according to nearly two decades of U.S. Drought Monitor data, which has been recorded since 2000. “This is the […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Water
Colorado’s drought situation continues to improve, with just 11% of the state under dry conditions
The news just keeps getting better. As the snowpack runoff season begins, Colorado’s drought situation has dramatically improved again. In the past three months, the areas on the drought map marked abnormally dry or worse have shrunk by 88%. On Feb. 12, 92% of the state was under some kind of drought status, including the […]
Posted inColoradans, Environment, News, Water
Drought has revealed for the first time a Colorado town flooded to build a reservoir. And scientists expect to see it again.
CURECANTI NATIONAL RECREATION AREA — It can feel a bit eerie standing on the bottom of Colorado’s largest body of water. Particularly if you are Bob Robbins. Robbins grew up here, although all that’s left of his hometown of Iola, a town west of Gunnison inundated by the waters of Blue Mesa Reservoir in the […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Water
All of this snow is great, but it will likely be months before we know the impact on Colorado’s drought
You’re seeing the pictures of deep snow being surfed by skiers and snowboarders across the state. The Colorado Department of Transportation is working double time to keep high country stretches of highways passable. But if you were expecting an overnight solution to Colorado’s drought, which has been particularly acute in the southwest part of the […]