We need
the moisture.
63 of Colorado's 64 counties are in drought, covering 91% of the state. The snowpack peaked low and melted out early. We are keeping track of what happens next.
HOW MUCH DO WE, NUMERICALLY, NEED IT?
AN UNOFFICIAL, EXPLICITLY WEIGHTED EDITORIAL INDEX — NOT AN AGENCY PRODUCT OR FORECAST.
DROUGHT
EMERGENCY
BUILT BY COOL-S TECHNOLOGIES · weneededthemoisture.com
WHEN THE MOISTURE SHOWS UP
Twenty-six years of daily Colorado rain-gauge history. Change the time window, chase individual storms, and see how long it has been since precipitation reached a meaningful share of the network.
This is a changing agricultural-station network, not an area-weighted statewide estimate. Liquid gauges can undercatch snow; SNOTEL carries the winter story. “Widespread” is this site's explicit 20% network threshold.
FROM RIDGELINE TO RESERVOIR
Forty-six water years, four real signals, one shared clock. Choose any year since 1981, then scrub from mountain snow through river response to Lake Powell's downstream memory.
These are connected regional signals, not one tracked parcel or a closed water balance. The SNOTEL line is a statewide mountain index; the Cameo gauge includes regulation and diversions; Powell storage reflects the wider Upper Colorado Basin plus reservoir operations.
Jul 9, 2026: snow 0.0 inches, river 1670 cubic feet per second, Lake Powell 5.52825 million acre-feet.DROUGHT TAKES HOLD
Share of Colorado's area in each U.S. Drought Monitor category, from October 1 to now. The slate band at the bottom is the part of the state not classified abnormally dry or worse.
D1–D4 91%
COUNTY BY COUNTY
Start with this water year or open the 2000–2026 archive. Drag the timeline one week at a time, county by county, and watch the pattern change.