Drought — Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin, Colorado

2025-08-01 to 2025-08-31 · Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

At the beginning of the month of August, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought that covered roughly 2/3 of Colorado Zone 011 - Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin. With the 8/13/25 US Drought Monitor update, an area of Exceptional (D4) Drought was analyzed as covering roughly 10% of the zone, with no change to the remaining areas of Extreme (D3) Drought. With the 8/20/25 US Drought Monitor Update, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought was expanded to cover the entire zone, with roughly 10% experiencing worse, Exceptional (D4) Drought conditions. These conditions remained unchanged from the 8/20/25 update through the end of the month.

Wider weather episode

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.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1291239. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.