Recent moisture from late May through early June is bringing some drought relief to Colorado. Areas in the eastern plains have reduced from Extreme (D3) drought down to Severe (D2) or Moderate (D1). Along the I-25 urban corridor, most counties have seen a reduction in at least one drought level.
Use the slider below to compare the drought monitor from May 17 to June 7:
Now, summer rain becomes vital for Colorado to keep seeing drought relief. May through August are our wettest months of the year.
As of June 9, Colorado Springs is running at a deficit for the year, with about 4 inches of precipitation so far in 2022, the average year to date is just over 5.5 inches.
Pueblo is running slightly above normal for the year at 5.6 inches, whereas the average year-to-date amount is about 4.9 inches.
Seeing continued improvement to drought now would be ideal, with the Climate Prediction Center forecasting La Nina conditions to potentially last into the 2022-23 winter season. This would be a rare three-peat of La Nina winters. In southern Colorado, La Nina usually means dry and windy weather during the cool seasons.
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