Click the link to read the article on the Colorado Public Radio website (Ishan Thakore). Here’s an excerpt:
August 6, 2025
Most of the Intermountain West is in a drought, with nearly 20 percent of the region stuck in the most severe, driest conditions, according to a Tuesday presentation from Colorado state climatologist Russ Schumacher and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration…The most drought-stricken areas are west of the continental divide – a scraggly arc of mountain ranges where precipitation eventually drains westward, towards the Pacific Ocean. The driest conditions in Colorado are largely concentrated on the Western Slope, while much of the Eastern Plains faces little to no drought, and has seen average or above-average precipitation levels since October…in April, abnormally hot and dry conditions rapidly melted snowpack and began dumping less precipitation than average across the West. Southern Arizona is even seeing some of its driest conditions over the last 130 years, according to data prepared by the Colorado Climate Center. Climate change is also accelerating extreme heat conditions for the region, which could prolong future droughts. Denver, for instance, is projected to experience 32 days of extreme heat by 2050, compared to just four days on average between 1976-2005, according to NOAA data.