Drought in Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin, Colorado

At the beginning of the month, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering approximately 10% of Colorado Zone 011 - Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin, with 45% of the zone under Severe (D2) Drought, and 45% of the zone under Moderate (D1) Drought. Drought conditions remained unchanged through much of the month. With the 4/29 US Drought Monitor update, Extreme (D3) Drought was reduced to 5% coverage, with Severe (D2) Drought now covering 50% of the zone and 45% of the zone still under Moderate (D1) Drought. While this zone has done better than most as far the drought is concern, those who live and work in the zone are still becoming uneasy over how the drought could impact them going forward. There's concern over the upcoming wildfire season, as well as water allocations from reservoirs in the zone and availability of water for irrigation, farming, and ranching.

The month of April saw weather closer to that expected for the time of year. While temperatures did end up being, on average, warmer than normal, the departures were significantly less compared to the month of March. The mountains saw a few solid snowfalls during the month, as well as some precipitation across the lower elevations. Areas north of I-70 generally fared the best. Locations in this region did see some improvement in drought conditions. Areas south of I-70 generally remained the same or worsened slightly.