According to the Jan. 28 update from the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), 17% of the state is currently experiencing some level of drought with 12% in the Moderate Drought category, 4% in a Severe Drought, 1% in the Extreme Drought category, and 22% of Colorado is Abnormally Dry. The map featured above shows the drought conditions on Jan. 28.
Denver Water’s supply comes from the snow that falls in the Upper South Platte River Basin and the Upper Colorado River Basin — the mountainous areas of Boulder, Douglas, Grand, Jefferson, Park and Summit counties.
At the end of January, snowpack in Denver Water’s collection areas stood at 96% of normal in the South Platte Basin and 113% of normal in the Colorado River Basin. Cumulative precipitation in the Colorado River watershed was tracking at 112% of average and the South Platte River watershed was tracking at 93% of average.
The snowpack season runs to mid-to-late April, so there’s still just over a couple of months to go in the snow collection season. Mountain snowpack is critical because when the snow melts in the spring it flows down streams and replenishes Denver Water’s reservoirs. At the end of 2024, Denver Water’s reservoir supply stood at 83% full, which is average for that time of year.
Currently, on February 4 snowpack statewide is 87 percent of median.
Percent of median by river basin:
Yampa and White: 90
Colorado Headwaters: 92
Laramie and North Platte: 94
South Platte: 102
Gunnison: 84
Arkansas: 86
Upper Rio Grande: 71
San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan: 67
Information provided by USDA, NIDIS, and CWCB and Denver Water.