Drought gets much worse in Aspen and Glenwood Springs as dry conditions persist across western half of Colorado

Colorado's drought situation is taking a turn for the worse, according to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Extreme, severe, and moderate drought levels have all increased. 

Severe drought conditions rose by about 2%, but it's the nearly 8% spike in extreme drought that's most concerning. The worst of these worsening conditions are now centered in Pitkin and Eagle counties, where the drought status intensified from severe to extreme in just the past week.

Currently, more than half of Colorado is experiencing some level of drought, highlighting the ongoing impact of a dry summer season across much of the western half of the state. The Western Slope saw particularly dry weather this past week, further deepening existing drought concerns in the region. However, there was a glimmer of improvement on the Eastern Plains — with Yuma and Kit Carson counties seeing enough moisture to ease conditions slightly, shifting from moderate drought to abnormally dry.