Exceptional drought continues to dominate Colorado’s Western Slope while severe and extreme conditions pushed further across the eastern plains, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center’s U.S. Drought Monitor update released Thursday. The map, based on data valid through Tuesday, April 21, shows 22 percent of Colorado locked in exceptional drought (D4), with 58 percent in extreme drought (D3) or worse, and 89 percent in severe drought (D2) or worse.

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Snowpack

Mountain snowpack remains a central concern as the state nears peak runoff season. The U.S. Drought Monitor noted that the High Plains region was mostly dry this past week, with only isolated rainfall in small areas of Colorado, and temperatures ran above normal across the region. Dry conditions and a warm spring have accelerated melt and extended hydrological impacts at higher elevations, leaving headwater basins in poor shape heading into May.

The sustained lack of moisture is reflected in the rapid expansion of exceptional drought across the state’s major river headwaters. Counties that include the state’s highest and most snow-dependent terrain — Eagle, Summit, Grand, Jackson, Routt and Pitkin — are now entirely classified in exceptional drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Conditions contrast sharply with the same week one year ago. In late April 2025, nearly 44 percent of Colorado was drought-free and no portion of the state was classified in extreme or exceptional drought. A full year of precipitation deficits and above-normal temperatures has since driven most of Colorado into the two worst drought categories.

Drought Conditions

Exceptional drought now blankets Colorado’s northern and central mountains and much of the Western Slope. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Eagle County, Summit County, Jackson County, Routt County, and Pitkin County are each 100 percent in exceptional drought (D4). Grand County is 98 percent in D4 with the remainder in extreme drought (D3), and Moffat County is 96 percent in D4 with the balance in D3.

Farther south and west, Garfield County is 75 percent in exceptional drought with the remaining 25 percent in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Montezuma County in the state’s southwest corner is 42 percent in extreme drought, with the rest of the county in severe drought (D2).

The U.S. Drought Monitor’s High Plains narrative reported continued degradation across the plains of Wyoming and Colorado this week, with expansion of moderate to extreme drought. Dryness combined with a warm spring drove the widespread deterioration across eastern Colorado.

Statistics

This week, no portion of Colorado is drought-free, unchanged from last week. Abnormally dry conditions (D0) cover 2 percent of the state, unchanged from the prior week. Moderate drought (D1) dropped from 15 percent to 9 percent as that land shifted into worse categories. Severe drought (D2) expanded from 28 percent to 32 percent, extreme drought (D3) grew from 33 percent to 36 percent, and exceptional drought (D4) held steady at 22 percent.

One year ago, conditions were dramatically less severe. In late April 2025, 44 percent of Colorado was drought-free, 18 percent was abnormally dry, 23 percent was in moderate drought, 14 percent was in severe drought, and just 1 percent of the state was in extreme drought. No portion of Colorado was classified in exceptional drought at that time.

Drought categories include (ranked from least to most severe) abnormally dry (D0), moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3), and exceptional (D4) drought.