Drought Information Statement for Western CO & Eastern UT Valid May 8, 2025 Issued By: WFO Grand Junction, CO Contact Information: This product will be updated if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/gjt/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. D3 persists across west-central Colorado D0 reintroduced across northwest Colorado and northeast Utah where conditions are quickly worsening due to an abnormally dry April U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent: D3 (Extreme Drought): Remains over portions of Mesa, Delta and Montrose counties D2 (Severe Drought): Persists across much of east/southeast Utah and west to southwest Colorado D1 (Moderate Drought): Expansion nosing along the spine of the Gore Range D0: (Abnormally Dry): Reintroduced drought conditions across northwest Colorado and northeast Utah Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change: Drought Worsened: One class degradation across northwest Colorado into northeast Utah Drought Improved: 1 class improvement across portions of La Plata and Archuleta counties in southwest Colorado Precipitation Below normal precipitation was observed across much of eastern Utah and western Colorado, through the month of April Temperature Overall, April was an abnormally warm month across eastern UT and western CO with the more notable anomalies across northeast UT and northwest CO Data Valid: 05/04/25 Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Current SWE conditions are below normal across eastern UT and western CO river basins, despite 1 to 2 inches of SWE accumulated across southwest CO earlier this week Streamflow mirrors seasonal snowpack with southeast UT & southwest CO rivers running bellow to well below normal However, warming trends this weekend will enhance snowmelt and lead to increasing stream and river flows over the next several days Water Supply Spring runoff & water supply forecasts declined throughout April due to the early onset/acceleration of snowmelt Peak flow forecasts are below average across the region, with the lowest percentiles centered over the Upper & Lower San Juan River basins Fire Hazard Impacts Significant wildfire potential outlooks show above normal fire potential expanding into southwest Colorado and southeast Utah by June 2025 However, normal fire potential returns across the Desert Southwest in July-August 2025 Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Scattered afternoon showers/thunderstorms are possible each day along the Divide through the weekend, although total QPF each evening is unlikely to exceed 0.1” to 0.2” A low, forecast to deepen across the Great Basin by Tuesday (May 13th), returns the next chance for widespread precipitation Long-Range Outlooks Up to 40% probability of above-normal precipitation in May Above normal temperatures are probable across northern zones, with a decrease probability of above-normal temperatures moving south (over the Four Corners area) Drought Outlook Anticipate drought conditions to persist through the month of May and into summer Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Gov. Spencer Cox (Utah) issued an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency due to drought conditions combined with low streamflow forecasts and increased water demands with warmer temperatures for San Juan, Grand and Uintah counties Agricultural Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Fire Hazard Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information.