Drought in Colorado

Events

3,044

Deaths

0

Injuries

3

Damage

None recorded

• Drought in Colorado, April 1 to 12, 20113 injured · 1 eventThe dry, warm and windy conditions that started the month of April allowed for another large wildfire to develop in the foothills of Larimer County, west of Fort Collins. The fire spread after strong winds allowed a slash pile burn on private property get out of control.
• Drought in Colorado, July 1 to 31, 200224 eventsA long term drought, which began to affect Colorado in earnest in May, continued through July. Conditions were described as severe to extreme during May, June, and through July. Snow pack had essentially melted by early May.
• Drought in Colorado, September 1 to 30, 200221 eventsThe extreme to exceptional drought officially persisted across western Colorado through the month of September. However, periods of rainfall reduced the usage of water across the area, while decreasing the risk of wildfires.
• Drought in Colorado, December 1 to 31, 200221 eventsOccasional storms brought precipitation to western Colorado during the month. However, precipitation amounts were not significant enough to have a major impact on the extreme drought conditions that persisted.
• Drought in Colorado, August 1 to 31, 200221 eventsExtreme to exceptional drought conditions continued throughout western Colorado during the month of August. Surges of monsoon moisture resulted in occasional rainfall which brought minor relief to portions of Colorado. Water restrictions were in place across much of the area.
• Drought in Colorado, November 1 to 30, 200221 eventsAn active weather regime early in November maintained near normal river basin precipitation across the area. However, mountain snowpack remained insufficient for improvement, and extreme drought conditions persisted across western Colorado.
• Drought in Colorado, April 1 to 30, 200221 eventsApril, normally the third snowiest month of the year with just over 9 inches, ended up being the third driest April on record for Denver. Only a trace of snow was recorded for the month with .23 inches liquid precipitation.
• Drought in Colorado, May 1 to 31, 200221 eventsMay was the first full month of severe to extreme drought conditions in western Colorado. The most intense drought classification, exceptional drought conditions, had developed in the southwest corner of the state by the end of the month.
• Drought in Colorado, June 1 to 30, 200221 eventsExtreme to exceptional drought conditions prevailed across western Colorado in June, with a significant negative impact on agricultural interests and the recreation industry.
• Drought in Colorado, July 1 to 31, 200221 eventsExtreme to exceptional drought conditions continued throughout western Colorado during the month of July. Water restrictions became common across much of the area. The persistent drought continued a heightened risk for wildfires and caused problems for agricultural interests.
• Drought in Colorado, October 1 to 31, 200221 eventsThe month began with extreme to exceptional drought conditions across western Colorado.
• Drought in Colorado, July 1 to 31, 200321 eventsSevere to extreme drought conditions continued across western Colorado during the month. Although monsoon moisture did bring thunderstorms to the area, significant rainfall amounts were not widespread in coverage.
• Drought in Colorado, December 1 to 31, 200321 eventsA number of winter storms impacted western Colorado resulting in above normal snowpack across all basins by the end of December. The effects of the heavy snowpack were difficult to characterize.
• Drought in Colorado, November 1 to 30, 200321 eventsA major change in the weather pattern brought much cooler and damper conditions to western Colorado compared to the previous month.
• Drought in Colorado, September 1, 200321 eventsPrecipitation across western Colorado during the first half of the month resulted in some drought relief across southwest Colorado and portions of northwest Colorado. However, severe to extreme drought conditions continued through the month across western Colorado.
• Drought in Colorado, January 1 to 31, 200321 eventsJanuary consisted of below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures across much of western Colorado. This offered no relief to the extreme drought conditions that persisted across the area.
• Drought in Colorado, February 1 to 28, 200321 eventsDespite many significant snowfall events in the mountains and some northern valleys of western Colorado, extreme drought conditions persisted throughout western Colorado. Please see the March 2003 Storm Data publication for a continuation of this drought saga.
• Drought in Colorado, March 1 to 31, 200321 eventsDespite many significant snowfall events in the mountains and some northern valleys of western Colorado, extreme drought conditions persisted throughout western Colorado. Please see the April 2003 Storm Data publication for a continuation of this drought saga.
• Drought in Colorado, April 1 to 30, 200321 eventsDespite several significant snowfall events, extreme drought conditions persisted throughout western Colorado. Please see the May 2003 Storm Data publication for a continuation of this drought saga.
• Drought in Colorado, May 1 to 31, 200321 eventsDespite above normal precipitation across much of western Colorado during the month, extreme drought conditions persisted throughout the area. Please see the June 2003 Storm Data publication for a continuation of this drought situation.
• Drought in Colorado, June 1 to 30, 200321 eventsExtreme drought conditions persisted during the month across most of the area. Hot weather and rapid snowmelt led to sharp increases in surface water in parts of northwest Colorado resulting in a slight improvement of drought conditions.
• Drought in Colorado, October 1 to 31, 200321 eventsIn general, the month of October consisted of above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation across western Colorado. This brought no relief to the severe to extreme drought conditions across the area.
• Drought in Colorado, August 1 to 31, 200321 eventsExtreme drought continued across western Colorado through the month. An area of exceptional drought expanded into southwest Colorado even though monsoon moisture produced scattered rainfall on a number of days across western Colorado.
• Drought in Colorado, January 1 to 31, 200421 eventsA number of storms moved across western Colorado during the month resulting in a continued slow improvement in the region's protracted drought situation.
• Drought in Colorado, February 1 to 29, 200421 eventsSubstantial and beneficial precipitation fell across much of western Colorado during the month, with snowpack near normal across most of the area.

Drought everywhereEvery kind of event in Colorado

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.