Current Drought Conditions
Please see the U.S. Drought Monitor for current Colorado drought conditions.
Follow current conditions and climate outlooks by tuning into the monthly Water Conditions Monitoring Committee (WCMC) meetings.
This is an open, public meeting that provides regular condition monitoring of snowpack, precipitation, reservoir storage, streamflow and weather forecasts with reports from the Colorado Climate Center and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Monthly drought summaries are provided by the CWCB to recap meeting highlights.
Water Year 2023 Review: This water year (October 2022 - September 2023) was the 31st wettest year on the 128-year record. Portions of the Front Range and northeastern Colorado experienced record wet conditions, however, drier than normal conditions persisted in the San Luis Valley. The northeastern quadrant of the state experienced cooler than average temperatures and pockets of the San Luis valley, along with areas around Grand Junction, experienced warmer than average temperatures. Globally, the 2023 calendar year was the hottest year on record. However, Colorado and the western US were one of the few cooler exceptions.
For a more in depth look at Water Year 2023, take a look at Colorado Climate Center's Water Year 2023 Review.
- Drought Planning Resources
- Drought Management Planning: A Guide for Water Providers
- Drought Management Planning: Worksheet for drought response action plans
- Drought Advisors - Drought Plan Program for agricultural producers
- Colorado Ag Water Alliance (CAWA) Drought Resilience Program
- Enhanced State Hazard Mitigation Plan
Regional
- Intermountain West Climate Dashboard from Western Water Assessment
- Colorado Basin River Forecast Center
National
- Drought Funding Resources
- CWCB Agricultural Emergency Drought Response Program
- CWCB has two big funding programs: Water Plan Grant program and the Water Supply Reserve Fund that assist Colorado water users in addressing a variety of water issues and interests.
- Department of Local Affairs Local Community Funding Guide is a comprehensive database that provides additional drought planning and response grants and resources.
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment offered funding programs related to water quality.
- USDA Disaster Assistance Programs offer funding to help farmers, ranchers, communities, and businesses that have been hit hard by natural disaster events.
- Helpful Reports, Tools, and Trainings
- These StoryMap case studies (May 2020) review how drought impacts Colorado's outdoor recreation and agriculture industries.
- The Future Avoided Cost Explorer (May 2020) quantifies direct impacts of current and future droughts on select sectors of the Colorado economy.
- The Drought Vulnerability Tool (March 2019) takes users through visual summaries of Colorado drought risk by sectors, based on Colorado’s 2018 Drought Plan.
