Drought in Colorado, April 1 to 30, 2026

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor indicated approximately 70% of Colorado Zone 001 - Lower Yampa River Basin was under Exceptional (D4) Drought, with the remaining 25% under Extreme (D3) Drought. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought was reduced to 30% coverage, while 70% of the zone was now under Extreme (D3) Drought conditions. These conditions remained unchanged through the end of the month. While no direct impacts from the drought were yet observed, increasing unease among those living and working in this zone has been noted. People are becoming increasingly concerned about water availability through the summer, and what the ongoing drought might mean for summer wildfires. There is also concern over drinking water availability and sourcing. With the lack of snowmelt, water quality is poorer than in typical years. The city of Rangely also has specific concerns regarding water flow rates and level, as they draw water directly from the White River, and if water levels are too low and flow too weak, it becomes impossible to draw water reliably.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering 100% of Colorado Zone 002 - Central Yampa River Basin. Conditions went unchanged through most of the month. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought was reduced to covering 70% of the zone, with 30% of the zone now came under Extreme (D3) Drought conditions. These conditions remained unchanged through the end of the month. While no direct impacts from the drought have been noted as yet, those living and working in this zone are beginning to express unease over current conditions. There is concern over water availability through the summer, drinking water quality and sourcing, and what drought conditions might mean for summer wildfire season.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought conditions as covering approximately 50% of Colorado Zone 003 - Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus, with the remainder of the zone under Extreme (D3) Drought conditions. Conditions remained unchanged for most of the month. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the coverage of Exceptional (D4) Drought was reduced to just 2% of the zone, with the remaining 98% of the zone under Extreme (D3) Drought. While there have been no direct effects from the drought noted as yet, there is increasing unease among those who live and work in this zone. There are concerns over water availability through the summer for ranching and farming, as well as drinking water quality and sourcing. There is also increasing concern over what the current drought means for the summer wildfire season.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering 100% of Colorado Zone 004 - Elkhead and Park Mountains. Drought conditions remained unchanged through the end of the month. The only impacts from the drought at this point are the poor snowpack conditions in the higher elevations of the zone, where the snowpack has been deemed historically bad by the Colorado State Climatologist. Those living and working in the zone are beginning to express concern over what the drought and lack of snow means for the summer wildfire season, as well as what it means for reservoir water allocation, drinking water quality, and overall water availability through the rest of the year.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought that covered 100% of Colorado Zone 005 - Upper Yampa River Basin. Drought conditions remained unchanged through the end of the month. Drought impacts thus far have been limited to economic losses due to poor winter tourism, as Steamboat Springs is a ski town. Additionally, there is growing concern over what the lack of snowpack and drought means for the upcoming summer wildfire season. There are also concerns over general water availability through the remainder of the year, and reservoir allocations going forward.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering 100% of Colorado Zone 006 - Grand Valley. Drought conditions remained unchanged through the end of the month. While direct impacts from the drought have not been noted as yet, there is increasing unease among those who live and work in the zone over what the drought could mean for summer wildfire season. There's also concern over water availability through the summer for irrigation and home use. Some local HOAs are estimating water will no longer be available for home use or irrigation by August. Drinking water providers in the Valley are also concerned over water quality. Some source water from the Grand Mesa snowmelt, which has a higher water quality than water sourced from the Colorado River. At this rate, the Grand Mesa snowpack is in such poor shape that most water providers expect to have to use river water to provide drinking water. There's also concern about being able to draw from the Colorado River at all due to low flow and low water levels. Drawing from the river also has water rights concerns, as much of the water through the Colorado River in the Grand Valley is already allocated to areas downstream.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering approximately 85% of Colorado Zone 007 - DeBeque to Silt Corridor, with the remaining 15% under Extreme (D3) Drought conditions. Drought conditions remained unchanged for much of the month. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought was reduced to 20% of the zone, with the remaining 80% under Extreme (D3) Drought. Drought impacts the zone so far have been minimal. Those living in the zone are beginning to grow concerned over what the drought and lack of snow means for the upcoming summer fire weather season. There are also concerns over water availability for home irrigation use, for farming, and for ranching.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering 100% of Colorado Zone 008 - Central Colorado River Basin. Drought conditions in this zone remained unchanged through the end of the month. Drought impacts in this zone are mainly in economic losses due to poor winter tourism, as many towns have ski area or other winter-sports oriented businesses. Additionally, there is growing concern over what the lack of snow and the drought means for the summer wildfire season.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering approximately 35% of Colorado Zone 009 - Grand and Battlement Mesas, with 55% of the zone under Extreme (D3) Drought, and 10% under Severe (D2) Drought. Drought conditions remained unchanged for much of the month. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought was reduced to 15% coverage, with 70% of the zone now under Extreme (D3) Drought, and 15% under Severe (D2) Drought. Impacts thus far from the drought have been limited to economic losses due to the lack of snowpack, mainly focused on tourism and the one ski area in the zone. The Colorado State Climatologist has referred to the 2025-2026 winter as historically bad. Those who live and work in the zone are beginning to be concerned with what the drought means for the summer wildfire season. Additionally, there is concern over water quality and availability as many who live in this zone draw their water from water stored from snowmelt.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought covering 100% of Colorado Zone 010 - Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys. Drought conditions did not change through the end of the month. The snowpack of 2025-2026 was listed as historically bad by the Colorado State Climatologist. As a result of this historically bad snowpack and drought conditions in this zone, economic losses have cropped up from a lack of winter tourism. Additionally, those who live and work in the zone are beginning to grow concerned over what the drought means for the summer wildfire season, and for water availability through the rest of the year.

At the beginning of the month, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering approximately 10% of Colorado Zone 011 - Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin, with 45% of the zone under Severe (D2) Drought, and 45% of the zone under Moderate (D1) Drought. Drought conditions remained unchanged through much of the month. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, Extreme (D3) Drought was reduced to 5% coverage, with Severe (D2) Drought now covering 50% of the zone and 45% of the zone still under Moderate (D1) Drought. While this zone has done better than most as far the drought is concern, those who live and work in the zone are still becoming uneasy over how the drought could impact them going forward. There's concern over the upcoming wildfire season, as well as water allocations from reservoirs in the zone and availability of water for irrigation, farming, and ranching.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering approximately 25% of Colorado Zone 012 - West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, with 60% of the zone under Extreme (D3) Drought conditions, 10% under Severe (D2) Drought, and 5% under Moderate (D1) Drought. Drought conditions remained largely unchanged through most of the month. With the 4/29 update, Exceptional (D4) Drought was reduced to covering 20% of the zone, and Extreme (D3) Drought was reduced to 55%. Severe (D2) Drought now covers 20% of the zone, and 5% remains under Moderate (D1) Drought. Drought impacts are mainly related to the lack of snow in the zone, causing concern over water availability through the rest of the year.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering 100% of Colorado Zone 013 - Flattop Mountains. Drought conditions remained unchanged through much of the month. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought was reduced to 98% coverage, with 2% of the zone now under Extreme (D3) Drought. Main impacts from Drought in this zone are related to the lack of snowpack through the winter season. This has led to increasing concern over the upcoming summer wildfire season, as well as water availability through the rest of the year.

At the beginning of the month of April the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering approximately 45% of Colorado Zone 014 - Upper Gunnison River Valley, with 30% of the zone under Severe (D2) Drought conditions, and 25% under Moderate (D1) Drought conditions. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was reduced to 40% coverage, with Severe (D2) Drought now covering 35% of the zone. Moderate (D1) Drought still covered 25% of the zone. Drought impacts at this time are limited to the poor snowpack. Concerns are increasing over the impact of the drought on the summer wildfire season. Additionally, there are concerns about future water allocations from Blue Mesa Reservoir and the other reservoirs that make up the Aspinall Unit. Much of this water is already earmarked for areas downstream along the Colorado, which leaves concern over what water will be available to the communities in this zone to use for drinking, home irrigation, farming, and ranching.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering 50% of Colorado Zone 017 - Uncompahgre Plateau and Dallas Divide, with 15% of the zone under Severe (D2) Drought, 35% under Moderate (D1) Drought. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought coverage was reduced to 40%, with Severe (D2) Drought increased to 25% coverage. Moderate (D1) Drought still covers 35% of the zone. Drought impacts are, so far, limited to the poor winter snowpack and early melt out. There are increasing concerns about the impact of the drought on the summer wildfire season, as well as water availability for those in this zone as well as for nearby population areas, including Grand Junction and Montrose.

At the beginning of the month of April the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering 5% of Colorado Zone 018 - Northwestern San Juan Mountains, with 35% of the zone under Extreme (D3) Drought, 45% of the zone under Severe (D2) Drought, and 15% under Moderate (D1) Drought. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, Exceptional (D4) Drought coverage was reduced to 0% of the zone. Extreme (D3) Drought now covered 20% of the zone, with 65% of the zone under Severe (D2) Drought, and 15% of the zone under Moderate (D1) Drought. Main impacts from the drought are related to the lack of winter snowpack. This has impacted winter tourism, as well as raised concerns over summer wildfire potential.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought as covering 20% of Colorado Zone 019 - Southwestern San Juan Mountains, with 78% under Extreme (D3) Drought conditions, and 2% under Severe (D2) Drought conditions. With the 4/8 US Drought Monitor update, Exceptional (D4) Drought remained at 20% coverage, but Extreme (D3) Drought coverage increased to 80% and Severe (D2) Drought coverage was reduced to 0%. With the 4/29 update, the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought was reduced to 0%, with Extreme (D3) Drought now at 40% coverage. Severe (D2) Drought was reintroduced, now covering 60% of the zone. Drought impacts are mainly felt in the loss of winter tourism due to the poor snowpack conditions, labelled as historically bad by the Colorado State Climatologist. There is also increasing concerns over the impact of the drought on the coming summer wildfire season.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering approximately 80% of Colorado Zone 020 - Paradox Valley/Lower Dolores River Basin, with the remaining 20% under Severe (D2) Drought. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was reduced to 20% coverage, with 80% of the zone now under Severe (D2) Drought. Impacts from the drought are not being felt as yet, but concerns are increasing about future impacts. Particularly, there are concerns of the drought's impact on the upcoming summer wildfire season. Additionally, there are concerns about water availability for home irrigation, farming, and ranching through the rest of the year.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering approximately 95% of Colorado Zone 021 - Four Corners/Upper Dolores River Basin, with 5% of the zone under Severe (D2) Drought. With the 4/8 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was reduced to 50% coverage, with 50% of the zone now under Severe (D2) Drought. With the 4/29 update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was yet further reduced to 25% coverage, with 75% of the zone now under Severe (D2) Drought. Drought impacts are not being felt directly yet, but there are increasing concerns over the impact of the drought on the upcoming summer wildfire season. There are also concerns over water allocation from the McPhee Reservoir in the zone, and the availability of water for home irrigation, farmer, ranching, and drinking water.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering 100% of Colorado Zone 022 - Animas River Basin. With the 4/8 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was reduced to 30% coverage, with 70% of the zone now under Severe (D2) Drought. With the 4/29 update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was further reduced to 10% coverage, with 90% of the zone now under Severe (D2) Drought. Direct impacts from the ongoing drought are limited to diminished winter tourism due to the poor snowpack. The Colorado State Climatologist has referred to this years winter snowpack as historically bad. Additionally, concern is increasing over the impact of the ongoing drought on the upcoming summer wildfire season. There is also worry over water availability for home irrigation, farming, and ranching.

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering 100% of Colorado Zone 023 - San Juan River Basin. With the 4/8 US Drought Monitor update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was reduced to 75%, with Severe (D2) Drought now covering 25% of the zone. With the 4/29 update, Extreme (D3) Drought was further reduced to 10% coverage, with Severe (D2) Drought now covering 90% of the zone. Drought impacts at this point are limited to reduced winter tourism due to the poor winter snowpack. The Colorado State Climatologist has referred to this year's winter snowpack as historically poor. Additionally, concern is increasing over the impact of the drought on the upcoming summer wildfire season. There is also concern over water availability for home irrigation, farming, and ranching.