Spring 2023 has been incredibly wet for eastern Colorado. The wet weather plus the above-average snowpack has helped to eliminate drought conditions in the state.
The last time Colorado was drought-free was in July 2019.
How much rain did it take to get here?
Short answer, a lot.
May in Colorado Springs was the 6th wettest on record with 5.22". And it was the wettest month on record in June in Colorado Springs. The airport received 9.62" of rain, the previous June record was 8" in 1965. The previous wettest month on record was May of 2015 with 8.13".
Colorado Springs also had 3 daily rainfall records broken on May 11, June 12, and June 21.
And this has boosted the annual rainfall to 17.65". This is almost 2" above the normal annual precipitation of 15.91". Colorado Springs still has a ways to go to beat the all-time annual total of 27.58" from 1999.
Pueblo had its 3rd wettest June on record with 3.85. There were 2 daily rainfall records broken recently in Pueblo on April 25 and June 22.
And Pueblo is sitting well above average with rainfall so far this year at 8.06", but still below the annual average of 12.02".
Much of eastern Colorado saw its wettest June on record. Data from the Colorado Climate Center estimates that many areas saw extreme rainfall for the month. The highest on record is indicated in the darkest color below:
Western Colorado isn't in the same boat
While the western slope has had a couple of good rain days during Spring, precipitation is falling behind normal.
See the past 30 days (as of July 7) estimated precipitation % of normal below:
Drought may creep back up in southwestern Colorado in the coming weeks, especially without a surge of monsoon storms. The North American Monsoon is off to a late start this year and may bring less rain than normal, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.
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