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 Availability Task Force. 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.
2022 Conditions Review: Water year 2022 was the sixth warmest and 35th driest on record going back to 1896. At a national scale, Colorado was part of a southern and central plains drought over the Water Year 2022. The South Platte basin was much drier than normal, while parts of the state west of the continental divide experienced improved conditions as compared to the previous two years. 2022 was a "warm dry" year as compared to historical average temperatures and precipitation data.
Colorado's drought status remains active. On June 22, 2020, Governor Jared Polis activated Colorado’s Drought Task Force and Phase 2 of the State Drought Mitigation and Response Plan to respond to deepening drought conditions across the state. Due to continued, worsening conditions throughout the fall and summer, the Governor expanded the Drought Plan to Phase 3 on November 30th. The Drought Plan and supporting task forces will remain activated - assessing conditions and recommending mitigation measures - until statewide conditions significantly improve.
The June Phase 2 activation called together the Agricultural Impact Task Force - a representative stakeholder group that has met biweekly to review physical and economic impacts of drought on Colorado's agricultural economy and to recommend opportunities for mitigation.
The November Phase 3 activation initiated the Municipal Water Impact Task Force - a representative group that will coordinate with water providers across the state to prepare for anticipated water challenges into 2021.