The April 21 report from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed Colorado’s dryness peaking at a ‘Drought Severity and Coverage Index’ (DSCI) score of a high 367 – a number that hadn’t been seen since early 2021. Thankfully, relief was on the way and over the next six weeks, that score kept dropping. Unfortunately, the latest report shows that this shift is no longer taking place.

For the first time in nearly two months, the June 9 drought report shows an uptick in drought severity in Colorado with the DSCI score jumping from 313 to 316. Last week, roughly 92.7 percent of the state was experiencing drought and this week, that number has climbed to 95.3 percent. It’s also worth noting that there was a slight increase in the portion of the state that’s at drought stage three (of four), as well. While the 8.8 percent of the state that’s at drought stage four – the most severe stage – stayed consistent week-over-week, the portion of the state at drought stage three ticked upward for the first time since April 28. It only increased from 27.12 percent to 27.2 percent – that might seem insignificant, but it’s still a shift back in the wrong direction.

There is some good news though – the NOAA is predicting that Colorado will be ‘wetter-than-normal’ through at least July 10. That said, hotter-than-normal conditions are expected, too.

The risk that widespread drought poses is already apparent with summer still days away, as wildfires have started to pop up pretty regularly around the state amid dry conditions. While none of these fires have been hugely impactful thus far, many Coloradans are worried about what may lie ahead in months to come.

The driest part of the state continues to be centered around Eagle County, with the potential of human-caused fires very concerning given how many people visit this rugged and mountainous part of the state during summer months.

Find more drought statistics and mapping here.

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