Drought conditions hold steady across most of Colorado, with some areas worsening

This week's drought update shows little overall change across Colorado, but some areas—particularly in the northwest—are seeing worsening conditions.

In Moffat and Routt counties, drought severity has ticked up slightly, moving into the severe category. Meanwhile, extreme drought continues to grip much of western Colorado, including counties like Gunnison, Mesa, Delta, Garfield, Pitkin, and Montrose. Persistent dryness in western Colorado is raising concerns for wildfire risk, and water supply heading into the peak summer months.

But there is some good news. Much of the southeastern Colorado as well portions of the Denver metro area, remains drought-free. This area has benefited from recent spring storms and a relatively wet start to the summer. The 90 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temperatures for the entire state for July, August and September.