Drought — San Juan River Basin, Colorado

2025-08-20 to 2025-08-31 · San Juan River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

The August 20th US Drought Monitor update showed the worsening of drought conditions across the southern Colorado valleys, with Colorado Zone 023 - San Juan River Basin developing Extreme (D3) Drought conditions across roughly 2/3 of the zone. The extent of this drought remained unchanged through the end of the month.

Wider weather episode

The month of August continued the trend of the summer, where above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation were characteristic. By the latter part of the month, Extreme (D3) Drought conditions expanded into the higher elevations of the San Juan mountains, as well as into the southern Colorado valleys.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1289306. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.