05/22/25 8:30am: Since we are in-between storm systems and we have some warm, summer like weather the next 2-3 days, thought it would be a good time to check in on the drought. Similar to the snowpack it the tail of two halves of the state.

Much of north-central CO and the northern front-range has no drought currently and has been much closer to normal precipitation over the last 60 days (also shown below). This includes part of Den/Bou and much of the Front Range mountains and eastern north-central mountains (makes sense with the active spring)

On the flipside some severe to extreme drought in parts of western and southern CO from areas near Grand Junction to the Grand Mesa to Uncompahgre Plateau to parts of the San Juans, especially eastern San Juans.....those area have had the biggest precip deficits this season and will be most prone to wildfires this summer.

Image 2 shows the The Long-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index (MIDI) that gives a sense of how dry conditions have be over the last 5 years. From NIDIS: "The Long-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index (MIDI) estimates current long-term drought conditions across the U.S. by combining several indicators of drought into a single, computer-generated map. Specifically, this map approximates drought conditions from longer-term changes in precipitation and moisture going back up to 5 years. Long-term drought conditions (lasting months to years) can impact irrigated agriculture, groundwater, and reservoir levels, and can increase wildfire intensity and severity."

Lastly I include Percent of Normal Precipitation over the last 60 days: 03/23/25 to 05/21/25 (image 3 below). And image 4 shows the same thing but since start of the water year / snow season, from October 1st to present (10/01/24 to 05/21/25)... You can see southeast CO is still benefiting from the very large snow storm in November and a couple big rain/snow events in April and May this year.

Parts of Den/Bou have also had near to above average in precip over the last 60 days, especially near Boulder/Golden and parts of the foothills. And parts of the north-central mountains / front-range mountains have also picked up some near/above average precip lately.

On the flipside well below average precip across western and southwestern CO, especially over the last 60 days.

Anyway, here is a bit more info from the Drought Monitor (NIDIS):

"A drought index combines multiple drought indicators (e.g., precipitation, temperature, soil moisture) to depict drought conditions. For some products, like the U.S. Drought Monitor, authors combine their analysis of drought indicators with input from local observers. Other drought indices, like the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), use an objective calculation to describe the severity, location, timing, and/or duration of drought."

"Drought is defined as the lack of precipitation over an extended period of time, usually for a season or more, that results in a water shortage. Changes in precipitation can substantially disrupt crops and livestock, influence the frequency and intensity of severe weather events, and affect the quality and quantity of water available for municipal and industrial use."

"Periods of drought can lead to inadequate water supply, threatening the health, safety, and welfare of communities. Streamflow, groundwater, reservoir, and snowpack data are key to monitoring and forecasting water supply."

What are your thought on the drought conditions across the state (or lack there of for northern CO) and the percent average precipitation (its good and bad in spots and that is how it goes almost every year).