Click on a thumbnail graphic to view a gallery of drought data from the US Drought Monitor website.

Click the link to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:

This Week’s Drought Summary

Moderate to heavy rain fell on almost all areas of dryness and drought along the Eastern Seaboard, improving conditions across large swaths of the region. Numerous locations experienced inundating rains and flooding, but drought conditions in some areas have been securely entrenched, limiting the amount of improvement introduced due to continuing impacts such as reduced water supplies, low groundwater, and similar hydrologic concerns.

Heavy to excessive rains also fell on some areas of dryness and drought farther west, from the central and northeastern Great Plains eastward through much of the Great Lakes Region and Lower Ohio Valley, prompting a few swaths of improvement there. But while heavy rains broadly affected the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, there were a few regions that missed the heavier amounts, leaving conditions essentially unchanged or even allowing for some deterioration. Temperatures averaging 6 to locally 12 deg F above normal in parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Great Plains, along with unusually low relative humidity across much of the Dakotas and Nebraska, accelerated surface moisture loss.

To the south, heavy rain was not as widespread across the Lower Mississippi Valley, the southern half of the Great Plains, and most of the High Plains. Still, moderate rains were not uncommon here, and there were isolated heavy amounts topping 2 inches. Thus, a variable pattern featuring areas of both deterioration and improvement was observed, with many locations essentially unchanged. Precipitation was markedly deficient from southern Kansas southward through much of Texas, resulting in broad areas of deterioration. Most of these areas were also warmer than normal, although humidity was not lacking. Much of the Texas Panhandle averaged 6 to 9 deg F above normal for the week. Other parts of this region were not as extreme, but most sites still averaged somewhat warmer than normal

From the Rockies westward, precipitation was sparse. Moderate amounts, with isolated totals over 2 inches, fell in association with the Southwest monsoon across portions of New Mexico and Arizona. Over the remainder of the West, scattered areas recorded several tenths of an inch to slightly over an inch across the Rockies and far Pacific Northwest, but most places recorded light precipitation at best. Very little rain fell across the Intermountain West, Great Basin, the interior Pacific Northwest, and California, although this is a dry time of year for many of those areas. Temperatures were above normal outside the Pacific Northwest

Dryness and heat intensified through most of Puerto Rico, with some areas recording one of the driest Julys on record. Hawaii and Alaska saw some new areas of abnormal dryness develop, along with moderate drought in extreme southeast Alaska…

High Plains

Conditions varied significantly across the High Plains Region last week. Heavy rains of 2 to 5 inches with isolated higher amounts fell on northeastern South Dakota, a large part of northern and eastern Nebraska, and northeastern Kansas. Moderate to heavy amounts were observed elsewhere across the eastern and central sections of the Dakotas and Nebraska, southern and north-central and east-central Kansas, southeastern and the higher elevations farther west in Colorado, and patches of central and northern Wyoming and the western Dakotas. In the some of the drier parts of the region across North Dakota, central and western South Dakota, and western Nebraska, unusually hot weather accompanied the relatively low rainfall amounts. For the last 30 days, these locations generally averaged 4 to 8 deg F above normal, with a few spots in the western Dakotas and adjacent parts of Wyoming and Nebraska reporting 30-day average temperatures 8 to 10 deg F above normal. This included a few spells of extreme heat with high temperatures over 100 deg F. At the same time, relative humidity has been unusually low. Many areas across eastern Wyoming, western South Dakota, and adjacent Nebraska reported 4-week relative humidity averaging among the driest 10 percent of historic observations for the time period, and a few isolated spots were as dry as the lower 2 percent of historical observations. Less remarkable but still consistently below-normal relative humidity has prevailed over most of the region from the central Dakotas and Nebraska westward, along with most of Colorado. The dichotomy of conditions between eastern and western reaches of the Region is reflected in the changes introduced in the Drought Monitor this week. Most of North Dakota, the western half of South Dakota, and parts of northeastern Wyoming, western Nebraska, and northeastern Colorado saw conditions deteriorate, as did southern Kansas adjacent to Oklahoma. Meanwhile, eastern South Dakota, central through eastern Nebraska, southeastern Colorado, and western Wyoming notched sizeable areas of improvement. A new patch the worst drought classification (D4) was brought into northwestern Nebraska and another introduced in part of the Denver Metro Area. Existing areas of D4 remained intact in the Nebraska Panhandle, east-central Colorado, south-central and interior western Colorado. A majority of Wyoming and Colorado remain entrenched in D3, as do western reaches of Nebraska and South Dakota along with a few scattered locales farther south and east. In contrast, dryness has been entirely removed from sizeable parts of southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and the east-central Dakotas…

West

Areas of moderate to locally heavy rain, at least partially driven by a mature monsoon circulation, were observed across much of southern and eastern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, the higher elevations of central Arizona, and a few scattered patches stretching from southern Utah northward through southeastern Idaho, southern Montana, and eastern Montana. A few swatches received similar amounts in western Washington. Other locations recorded little or no precipitation, although this is not uncommon during summer across much of California and the Far West. Conditions across southeastern Idaho and southern Montana have been exacerbated by temperatures averaging 6 to 10 deg F above normal during the past 30 days, including a few days of intense heat. Near- or below-normal temperatures during this period were restricted to the Pacific Northwest, central and northern California, and western Nevada. Relative humidity has been seasonably low during this period. The dry and hot conditions are not too out of character for July across California, Nevada, and southern Oregon, with drought designations unchanged from last week. Farther north, the lack of winter snowpack despite ample winter precipitation is starting to take its toll, with increasing moisture shortages leading to degradations across eastern Washington, northwestern and eastern Oregon, much of the Idaho Panhandle, and parts of eastern Montana. Meanwhile, locally heavy precipitation over the past few weeks, enhanced by rain from a mature monsoonal circulation, prompted localized areas of improvement in west-central New Mexico, parts of southeastern Arizona and some higher elevations farther north in the state, and a few places scattered across Utah…

South

Moderate to heavy rain was fairly widespread across central and eastern Tennessee and the eastern half of Mississippi, although amounts exceeding 2 inches were mostly limited to north-central and southeastern Tennessee. Light rain (several tenths of an inch) with scattered higher totals were observed farther west across Arkansas and, to a lesser extent, Louisiana. Farther west, there were a few swaths of moderate to heavy rain in parts of northwestern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, and central to southwestern Texas, but most of these two states reported no measurable rain to a few tenths at best. Recently, very hot weather has baked the northern portion of this region from the Red River Valley and the Texas Panhandle northward. Temperatures averaged 1-3 deg F above normal in northeastern Texas, 3 to 6 deg F above normal across most of Oklahoma, and 5 to 9 deg F above normal in the Texas Panhandle. Portions of Deep South Texas were also warmer than their typical mid-summer temperatures. The dryness and heat have accelerated deterioration across Oklahoma and northern Texas, where many locations are seeing dying grass, depleted stream-fed and farm ponds, and increased fire danger. The past 30 days brought less than half of normal rain to most locations from the Texas Panhandle and the Red River Valley northward, with the driest areas (less than one-quarter of normal) covering the central and eastern Texas Panhandle, western and northern Oklahoma, and some regions near the Red River. Subnormal humidity at the same time also aggravated the situation in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. As a result, drought degradation was widespread across most of Oklahoma and northern Texas, indicative of rapid surface moisture loss. Other areas of significant deterioration included western Texas, Deep South Texas, and western Arkansas. Abnormal dryness was also brought in to a few spots across Louisiana and Mississippi while more intensely dry conditions over portions of Arkansas and adjacent Mississippi were essentially unchanged. The past 30 days also brought less than half of normal rain to numerous locations across western and southern Texas, Arkansas, northern and eastern Louisiana, and central through southern Mississippi. Improvement was limited to portions of the wetter areas across eastern Tennessee…

Looking Ahead

During August 5-10, 2026, a decided lack of heavy rainfall is forecast across the Contiguous States. A few areas are expecting 1.5 to locally 3.0 inches of rain, but they are not extensive and include central Missouri, a few scattered patches along the Appalachians from western North Carolina to Upstate New York, isolated spots in southwestern Wisconsin and southwestern Michigan, and portions of central and west-central Florida. Totals of 1 to 2 inches are also possible in southeastern Arizona as well as some higher elevations in the state. Amounts exceeding an inch are also forecast across a large swath of Missouri and some adjacent areas, the southern Great Lakes and adjacent Mississippi Valley, most of western Pennsylvania, several areas in the Appalachians from northern Georgia through West Virginia, east-central Pennsylvania, portions of Upstate New York and adjacent Vermont, and the southern half of the Florida Peninsula. Scattered small patches across the central and eastern Gulf Coast, southeast and central Arizona, and northern New England may also record 1 to 1.5 inches. Other areas from the Mississippi Valley eastward are expecting light to moderate rain, with only a few tenths of an inch at best in much of the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys, southeastern Virginia, and adjacent North Carolina. Farther west, monsoonal moisture is expected to trigger light to locally moderate rains over parts of Arizona and New Mexico. Elsewhere from the central Great Plains westward, little or no precipitation is anticipated. Most of the country can expect near to above-normal temperatures during this period, especially over the Great Plains westward, where locations outside the Pacific Northwest and immediate West Coast are expected to record temperatures 5 to 11 deg. F above normal, with the greatest departures covering southern Kansas, the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, most of Colorado, and some adjacent areas. Temperatures east of the Mississippi River are expected to be closer to normal, although a few areas are expected to record somewhat warmer than normal conditions. Temperatures should average 4 to 6 deg F above normal across the Tennessee and adjacent Lower Mississippi Valley, across parts of the Mid-Atlantic Region, and northern New England.

The 6- to 10-day outlook (August 11-15, 2026) at least marginally favors above-normal precipitation from the Southwest, Great Basin, and Intermountain West eastward into the Great Plains. The best chances for significantly above-normal precipitation (over 50 percent) cover areas expected to be under the influence of the Southwest monsoon, from Arizona through most of Utah, eastern Nevada, and the southeastern California deserts. Odds lean toward above-normal precipitation in most of the eastern half of the country as well, excepting only the northwestern Great Lakes and adjacent Mississippi Valley, the southeastern Great Plains, the Gulf Coast and adjacent locales, and the lower Eastern Seaboard south of the Carolinas and central Georgia. Across the Contiguous States, enhanced chances for subnormal rainfall are limited to the Florida Peninsula. In Alaska, near normal precipitation is expected in central parts of the state and across most of Southeast Alaska, with subnormal amounts nominally favored in far southeastern areas that where moderate drought newly emerged this week. Above-normal precipitation is expected over most of Hawaii outside Kauai, with the best chances (over 40 percent) covering most of the Big Island. Meanwhile, warmer than typical mid-August conditions are favored across most of the Contiguous States, and throughout Alaska and Hawaii. Odds favor anomalous warmth from the Middle and South Atlantic Regions westward through the central and southern Great Plains, then from the entirety of the Rockies to the Pacific Coast. Chances for significantly above-normal temperatures are highest (near 80 percent) across the Big Island and southeastern Maui in Hawaii. The likelihood of above-normal temperatures exceeds 60 percent in a swath across central Alaska, in portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley and southern Great Plains, and the South Atlantic Region from most of Florida through eastern South Carolina.

Just for grins here’s a slideshow of early August US Drought Monitor maps for the past few years.

Sarah J. Morath, Wake Forest University

Reducing rampant pollution across the United States was so important that when Congress passed many environmental protection laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, it didn’t want to leave enforcement only to the executive branch.

Congress specifically wrote into those laws ways for citizens to enforce them through the courts when the government does not act to address the problem. Called “citizen suit provisions,” those parts of the laws allow regular people and advocacy groups to sue companies they believe are violating the law. Citizens can also sue federal agencies that fail to enforce the laws.

Since the 1970s, those provisions have been used in over 2,000 lawsuits. In fact, a majority of environmental cases are citizen suit cases. Citizen suits have been used to halt the construction of dams to protect endangered species, end the injection of wastewater into groundwater, and secure US$14.2 million in civil penalties for illegal emissions from a petrochemical facility. In short, these cases have shaped modern environmental law.

Now, in a legal filing, the Trump administration is saying citizens should not be allowed to enforce environmental laws. Rather, despite what the laws say, the U.S. Department of Justice has claimed in a case involving Elon Musk’s xAI that people should be required to leave enforcement to the executive branch – even if the executive decides to take no action.

A history of success

For more than 50 years, citizen suits have been an effective part of cleaning up the environment in the U.S. The process is fairly straightforward: A person or group must send a formal notification to the person, company or agency they suspect of violating the law – with a copy to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If after 60 days the problem is not rectified, the people can sue.

Citizen suits often ask the courts to order a stop to the polluting activity, payments for reducing or cleaning up the harm done, and civil penalties paid to the government. But if the government has already begun an enforcement action or is actively prosecuting the violator, a citizen suit cannot proceed.

The success of these cases depends on the ability of the plaintiff to prove a violation of the law. Violations of the Clean Water Act are somewhat easier to prove than violations of other statutes because the simple act of discharging a pollutant without a permit is a violation of the law. As a result, more citizen suit provisions have been brought under the Clean Water Act than under any other environmental statute.

In my area of research, plastic pollution, citizen suits have been used to hold plastic pellet manufacturers responsible for pollution. For example, the citizen suit provision of the Clean Water Act allowed Diane Wilson, a shrimper from Texas’ Gulf Coast, to sue Formosa Plastics in 2017 for persistent discharges of plastic pellets into Lavaca Bay, where some shrimp were caught, and which is connected to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2019, Formosa ended up settling for $50 million to pay for mitigation and remediation projects in the bay, cleaning up plastic and other pollution. Formosa also agreed to pay court costs and attorneys fees.

In another example, the environmental advocacy groups PennEnvironment and Three Rivers Waterkeeper in 2023 sued Styropek USA, which manufactured expandable polystyrene used for packaging and shipping, over pellet discharges into a western Pennsylvania creek. The pellets attracted and collected other toxic chemicals and were harming local aquatic plants and fish. In 2025, Styropek settled for $2.5 million. As part of the settlement agreement, Styropek agreed to install filters in the facility’s wastewater and stormwater systems to capture plastic pellets before they reached Raccoon Creek or the Ohio River. Styropek also had to eliminate the unauthorized discharge of plastic pellets from all of the facility’s stormwater drains.

Citizen suit provisions are not included in every law. But they have arisen in other contexts. For instance, a 2025 Texas state law seeks to restrict abortion rights and allows any citizen to sue doctors or other medical providers who perform or assist with abortions.

NAACP v. xAI

In April 2026, using the citizen suit provision of the Clean Air Act, the NAACP, a nationwide civil rights organization, sued xAI, an artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk, in federal court.

The NAACP alleged that xAI and a subsidiary company built and operated 27 natural gas-fired turbines in Southaven, Mississippi, without the required Clean Air Act permits. The turbines generated electricity to power xAI’s nearby Colossus 2 data center. The NAACP alleged that the gas plant released harmful pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde, which can increase rates of asthma, respiratory diseases, heart problems and certain cancers.

Had xAI applied for a permit to operate the turbines under the Clean Air Act, the EPA would have required xAI to use the best available technology to reduce those emissions. But xAI never applied to the EPA for a permit.

A request from the federal government

In June 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice asked the judge to dismiss the case, claiming, among other arguments, that citizen suits cannot proceed when the federal government does not oppose the polluting behavior.

The Justice Department’s court filing cited two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump within days of the start of his second term – one declaring a “national energy emergency” and the other seeking to support “American leadership in artificial intelligence.”

According to the Justice Department, the NAACP’s lawsuit threatens “artificial intelligence innovation” and national security. The government’s filing goes on to argue that citizen lawsuits were not intended to allow everyday citizens to enforce laws in ways that go against what the federal government deems is in the public interest.

Instead, the Justice Department claimed, citizen suits should be allowed by the court only when the government fails to enforce the statute, and not when the government has decided that executive branch policy means enforcement action is contrary to the public interest.

Conflict between the government and the public

This is the first time the Justice Department has taken this position in court. But defendants and judges have questioned the constitutionality of citizen suits in the past.

Some critics, including the Trump administration, view citizen suits as a way for citizens to usurp the executive branch’s prosecutorial authority. Supporters of the citizen suit provisions, on the other hand, say they allow regular people to exercise their statutory rights to advocate for a clean and healthy environment and enforce environmental laws when the government’s efforts fall short.

Regardless of how the court rules in the NAACP case against xAI, I believe the filing from the Trump administration is another step in a broader effort to consolidate government power in the executive branch.

Sarah J. Morath, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for International Affairs, Wake Forest University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Click on a thumbnail graphic to view a gallery of drought data from the US Drought Monitor website.

Click the link to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:

This Week’s Drought Summary

This U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) week saw very hot and dry conditions across areas of the Western U.S. and the Plains states where average temperatures soared well above normal levels—significantly elevating evaporate demand, especially across the Upper Midwest, Northern Plains, Colorado, and the Texas Panhandle where conditions deteriorated rapidly. Elsewhere, heavy rains across areas of the Mid-Atlantic states, Southeast, and the South, led to widespread improvements on the map in drought-affected areas. In North Carolina, rainfall totals for the week ranged from 3 to 8+ inches across the state leading to a significant improvement in drought-related conditions statewide. In the Northeast, recent isolated shower activity helped to improve drought conditions; however, the impacts of the longer-term drought continue to affect groundwater conditions in areas of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In the Upper Midwest, drought expanded and intensified on the map, especially across Minnesota and Wisconsin where composite flash drought indicators were showing severe to extreme flash drought conditions during the past week. Out West, the Four Corners states continued to receive beneficial monsoonal rainfall with isolated areas receiving 2 to 4 inches. In portions of Arizona and western New Mexico, precipitation during the past 30-day period has been above normal, boosting streamflow and soil moisture levels while improving vegetation health. In the Pacific Northwest, short-term dryness has led to a dip in soil moisture and streamflow levels in areas of western Oregon and Washington. In the Great Basin, recent monsoonal rains have provided some minor relief to drought-affected areas of eastern Nevada.

In terms of reservoir storage in the West, California’s reservoirs continue to be at or above historical averages for the date (July 28), with the state’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville seeing slight decreases over the past week, at 99% and 108% of average, respectively. In the Southwest, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is reporting (July 26) Lake Powell at 23% full (33% of average for the date; lowest on record for the date in the last 30 years), Lake Mead at 27% full (45% of average for the date; lowest on record for the date in the last 30 years), and the total Colorado River system (July 26) at 33% of capacity (compared to 39% of capacity the same time last year). [ed. emphasis mine] According to the Salt River Project, the Salt River reservoir system in Arizona is currently 48% full, Verde River system 59% full, and the total reservoir system at 50% full (compared with 59% full a year ago)…

High Plains

For the week, drought-related conditions deteriorated across the region including in the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas where temperatures were well above normal, especially in western portions of the region where anomalies ranged from 3 to 9 °F above normal. NDMC’s flash drought composite map (July 27) also showed flash drought conditions developing with numerous drought impact reports coming into the NDMC’s Condition Monitoring Observer Report (CMOR) reporting system during the past 7-day period—especially in the Dakotas in relation to crop and rangeland conditions. Looking at climatological rankings for the past 30-day period, numerous locations ranked among their warmest or near warmest mean temperatures on record, including: Rapid City NWS Weather Forecast Office, SD (warmest on record; +8 °F departure); Custer, SD (3rd warmest; +6 °F departure); Bismarck, ND (5th warmest; +5 °F departure); and Fargo, ND (3rd warmest; +5 °F departure)…

West

On the map, drought-related conditions deteriorated in areas of eastern Colorado, eastern New Mexico, southeastern California, and western Washington. Conversely, beneficial monsoonal rainfall led to improvements across Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, southeastern Utah, and northeastern Nevada. In the Southwest, an active monsoonal pattern (June 15 to present) has led to above-normal precipitation, especially in Arizona where percentages of normal have ranged from 150% to 250% above normal across southeastern, central, and northern portions of the state. According to the NWS Forecast Office in Tucson, AZ monsoon statistics, the following Arizona locations have received above-normal rainfall for the monsoon season: Nogales, Sierra Vista, Wilcox, Ajo, Globe, Apache Junction, Flagstaff, Kingman, Page, Prescott, Show Low, and Winslow. In Colorado, drought expanded and intensified on the map in response to anomalously warm temperatures, decreased soil moisture levels, and elevated evaporative demand. Looking at climatological rankings for the past 30-day period, numerous locations ranked among their warmest or near warmest mean temperatures on record, including: Montrose, CO (warmest on record; +3 °F departure); Dinosaur, CO (warmest on record; +4 °F departure); Grand Junction, CO (2nd warmest; +4 °F departure); Trinidad, CO (2nd warmest; +4 °F departure); Denver, CO (2nd warmest; +3 °F departure); Rock Springs, WY (3rd warmest; +4 °F departure); Casper, WY (3rd warmest; +5 °F departure); Salt Lake City, UT (5th warmest; +4 °F departure); and Pocatello, ID (5th warmest; +4 °F departure)…

South

On this week’s map, widespread improvements were made in drought-affected areas of Tennessee where rainfall has been well above normal during the past 30-to-60-day period across much of the state. In southern Texas, areas of drought expanded where hot and dry conditions have prevailed during the past 30 days. In the Texas Panhandle, short and longer-term dryness led to intensification of drought with year-to-date precipitation deficits ranging from 3 to 8+ inches. Looking at the reservoir situation, Water Data for Texas (July 29) reports statewide reservoirs at 78% full, with eastern reservoirs in good condition while numerous western, northern (Panhandle), and southern reservoirs remain below normal. Looking at climatological rankings for the past 30-days, record to near-record mean temperatures were observed in areas of the region, including in Brownville, TX (2nd warmest on record; +2 °F departure), Amarillo, TX (8th warmest; +3 °F departure), Gulfport, MS (4th warmest; +2 °F departure) and Jackson, MS (5th warmest; +2 °F departure). Average temperatures for the week were above normal across most of the region (1 to 10+ °F) with the greatest anomalies observed in the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas…

Looking Ahead

The NWS Weather Prediction Center’s 5-Day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast calls for the heavy precipitation accumulations across portions of the Gulf Coast from southeastern Louisiana to west-central Florida, where totals ranging from 3 to 5+ inches are expected. In other areas of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, lighter accumulations, generally ranging from 1 to 2+ inches, are expected. In the Northeast, Midwest, and eastern portions of the High Plains, precipitation accumulations generally ranging from 1 to 4+ inches are expected. In the Four Corners states, isolated monsoonal rainfall with accumulations ranging from 1 to 2 inches are forecast, while dry conditions are expected across most of the Intermountain West, Great Basin, and West Coast states.

The NWS 6-10-Day Temperature Outlook, valid August 3-7, 2026, favors above-normal temperatures across most of the contiguous United States, with the highest probabilities centered across California, the Great Basin, Desert Southwest, and portions of the central and southern Rockies. Above-normal temperatures are also favored across the Plains, Midwest, South, Southeast, and the Northeast. Near-normal temperatures are favored across portions of the Pacific Northwest and central Gulf Coast. Across Alaska, above-normal temperatures are favored, while near-normal temperatures are forecast for Southwest Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Above-normal temperatures are favored across Hawaii.

The NWS 6-10-Day Precipitation Outlook favors above-normal precipitation across portions of the Southwest, western and southern Texas, southern Florida, Upper Midwest, and the Northeast. Below-normal precipitation is favored across portions of the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, northern Great Basin, and western portions of the Plains states. Elsewhere, near-normal conditions are expected. In the Hawaiian Islands, above-normal precipitation is favored.

Click the link to read the article on the Steamboat Pilot & Today website (Ryan Spencer). Here’s an excerpt:

July 24, 2026

Colorado is in the middle of a historic drought after a record-low snowpack last winter. Much of Summit, Eagle, Pitkin, Grand, Garfield, Rio Blanco and Routt counties have been under exceptional drought — the highest level — for more than three months, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Even as the North American monsoon kicks into gear, bringing moisture and increased chances for precipitation over the coming days and weeks, public safety officials say the severity of the drought means the fire danger could linger for weeks, even if rain continues. But, if the rain stops, officials warn conditions could quickly dry out again.

“The rain is awesome, but don’t get complacent,” said Brad White, the fire chief of Grand Fire Protection District No. 1. “It’ll minimize the number of starts, but we’re still going to have starts. Once something starts up, then those dry fuels are just going to make it difficult to deal with, even with the moisture.”