Drought Information Statement for Western CO & Eastern UT Valid September 18th, 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. Several rounds of monsoon moisture have improved drought conditions across the Western Slope Extreme drought still persists, despite recent rainfall U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent: D4 (Exceptional Drought): Removed! D3 (Extreme Drought): D3 persists across majority of the Upper Colorado mainstem across east-central Utah through west-central and northwest Colorado, as well as the Green River basin in northeast Utah and northwest Colorado D2 (Severe Drought): Encompasses over 95% of the Grand Junction CWA D1 (Moderate Drought): Sliver over central Mesa County and along the spine of the Divide across southern Colorado Rockies Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change: Drought Worsened: NA Drought Improved: Several improvements noted across northwest Colorado, east-central Utah to west-central Colorado, and southwest Colorado over the Southwest San Juans Precipitation Monsoon activity returned late August and early September, providing some much needed and widespread precipitation. However, the Four Corners region and northwest Colorado/northeast Utah largely missed out on cumulative precipitation. These areas remain less than 25% of normal for the 30-Day period. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Recent monsoon rain has elevated streamflows from "much below normal" to "below normal"/"normal" categories over the 7-Day average Seven Day Precipitation Forecast A quiet period looms over the Western Slope over the next 7 days At best, 0.25” of precipitation is possible over higher terrain over the weekend, otherwise the forecast remains dry Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Long range forecasts follow recent trends of abnormally warm temperatures and below normal precipitation through Fall Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Water conservation is still encouraged Agricultural Impacts Reservoirs in central and southern Utah are going dry, threatening irrigation supplies. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information.