The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land — Luna Leopold
#Monsoon2021 season brings the rainiest July in 10 years — Summit Daily
The time between rainfalls has become longer and the rains occurred more erratically in the Southwest during the last 50 years.. Photo credit: The Mountain Town News/Allen Best
Drought conditions improve across the state but not erased west of the Continental Divide
Summit County is experiencing both a monsoon and a lingering drought.
How does that work? To put it simply, a drought takes a long time to release its grip. Whether the downpours will lift the area out of drought conditions or not, the precipitation is welcome relief, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Hanson.
“We are in a monsoon pattern right now, and so that means we’re getting … a plume of moisture that comes up from the tropics, from the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California,” Hanson said. “It’s not the individual storms; it’s the weather pattern that brings the storms to the area.”
The Dillon weather station recorded 3.76 inches of rain in July, which is more than double the month’s 1.87-inch average. On Saturday morning, July 31, the weather station recorded 1.13 inches of rain for the previous 24 hours, which is the most in a single 24-hour period so far this summer. According to National Weather Service records, it has been the rainiest July since 2011.
While an extra inch or two might not sound like much, Hanson said it makes a difference in the High Country…
Colorado Drought Monitor one month change map ending July 27, 2021.
Hanson said there have been some drought improvements in western Colorado, and areas east of the Continental Divide are in “great shape.” He said the wet spring and snowy March erased the drought in the east. In western Colorado, where conditions have been more severe, the precipitation has helped but has not gotten rid of the drought.
Colorado Drought Monitor map July 27, 2021.
Summit County’s drought conditions have not changed since the beginning of June, according to weekly updates from the U.S. Drought Monitor. The county currently ranges from no drought in the east to severe-to-extreme drought in the northwest.
North American Monsoon graphic via Hunter College.
Pueblo has received enough rain since January that records will still show Pueblo as receiving above-average rainfall for the year — even if not another drop of rain falls until December…
According to the National Weather Service’s data, Pueblo has received 12.91 inches of rain since Jan. 2021, which is 0.89 inches more than the annual average. This is a marked difference from 2020, when the area only received 5.33 inches during the whole year.
