From the National Weather Service Pueblo office:
…NO RELIEF IN LONG TERM DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO…
SYNOPSIS…ANOTHER HOT AND DRY JUNE WAS EXPERIENCED ACROSS THE MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO…WITH MOST OF THE AREA SEEING WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND WELL BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION. ONE EXCEPTION TO THIS WAS OVER PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN PLAINS…WHICH SAW NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION…THANKS TO A FEW SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS. WHILE THIS MOISTURE DID BRING SOME MINOR SHORT TERM RELIEF TO AREA FARMERS AND LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES…THE PRECIPITATION WAS NOT WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO SHOW ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE LONG TERM DROUGHT THE REGION HAS BEEN IN PLAGUED WITH OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.
WITH THIS IN MIND…THE CURRENT US DROUGHT MONITOR CONTINUES TO INDICATE MOST OF SOUTHEAST COLORADO IN EXCEPTIONAL (D4) DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THIS INCLUDES SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF EL PASO COUNTY…CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF PUEBLO COUNTY…CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF LAS ANIMAS COUNTY…AS WELL AS ALL OF CROWLEY…OTERO…KIOWA…BENT…PROWERS AND BACA COUNTIES.
EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) CONDITIONS ARE NOW INDICATED ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN MINERAL COUNTY. EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) CONDITIONS REMAIN DEPICTED ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF FREMONT COUNTY…SOUTHERN TELLER COUNTY…MOST OF CUSTER COUNTY…THE REST OF PUEBLO COUNTY AND MOST OF THE REST OF EL PASO COUNTY. EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) CONDITIONS ALSO REMAIN INDICATED ACROSS HUERFANO COUNTY AND THE REST OF LAS ANIMAS COUNTY.
SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO BE DEPICTED ACROSS SOUTHERN CHAFFEE COUNTY…WESTERN FREMONT COUNTY…NORTHERN TELLER COUNTY…EXTREME NORTHWESTERN EL PASO COUNTY…EXTREME WESTERN CUSTER COUNTY AND THE REST OF MINERAL COUNTY…AS WELL AS ALL OF SAGUACHE…RIO GRANDE…CONEJOS…ALAMOSA AND COSTILLA COUNTIES.MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) CONDITIONS REMAIN ACROSS THE REST OF CHAFFEE COUNTY AND LAKE COUNTY.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE US DROUGHT MONITOR CLASSIFICATION SCHEME CAN BE FOUND AT: WWW.DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU/CLASSIFY.HTM