Drought in Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado

At the beginning of the month of August, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought conditions covering roughly 1/4 of Colorado Zone 005 - Upper Yampa River Basin. With the 8/13/25 Drought Monitor update, a sliver of Exceptional (D4) Drought was introduced into the zone. With the 8/20/25 Drought Monitor update, the coverage of Exceptional (D4) Drought remained unchanged, but the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was expanded to cover the whole zone, meaning all of Colorado Zone 005 experienced Extreme (D3) Drought conditions or worse. Drought conditions remained unchanged from the 8/20/25 update through the end of the month.

The month of August continued where July left off, with overall above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. In particular, the lower elevations of eastern Utah and western Colorado showed the greatest departures in both temperatures and precipitation. As a result, Extreme (D3) Drought either remained unchanged in coverage, or expanded through the month.