Drought — Flattop Mountains, Colorado

2025-08-01 to 2025-08-31 · Flattop Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

At the beginning of the month of August, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought that covered the entirety of Colorado Zone 013 - Flattop Mountains. With the 8/13/25 US Drought Monitor update, roughly 90% of the zone saw the development of Exceptional (D4) Drought conditions, with the remaining 10% still under Extreme (D3) Drought. These conditions remained unchanged from the 8/13/25 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 1291241. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.