Drought — Upper Gunnison River Valley, Colorado

2025-05-01 to 2025-05-31 · Upper Gunnison River Valley, Colorado

Event narrative

At the beginning of the month of May, Extreme (D3) Drought was analyzed across the furthest western tip of the Upper Gunnison River Valley (CO Zone 014), covering less than 10% of the zone. By the end of the month, that area of Extreme (D3) Drought had expanded slightly, covering approximately 10% of the zone. However the area under Moderate (D1) and Severe (D2) Drought had expanded greatly by the end of the month.

Wider weather episode

A generally warm and dry month of May in combination with a drier than normal winter has led to Extreme (D3) Drought to persist across portions of western Colorado.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1267569. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.