All Entries Tagged With: "Drought"
Commissioners Send Drought Letter of Concern to Ag Secretary
July 28, 2020 Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue U.S. Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20250 (via USPS & email: agsec@usda.gov) Dear Honorable Secretary Perdue: The past three years have been devastating for Colorado farmers, due to extreme weather events; 2018 (drought), 2019 (freeze) and 2020 (drought) and, according to credentialed agronomists, […]
CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION – WEEK ENDING AUGUST 2, 2020
AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY: Much needed rain greened pastures, but also damaged alfalfa in the southern areas of the state, according to the Mountain Region Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. Statewide, weather reports indicate that over the past week isolated areas received more than one inch of rain with most of […]
Letter to the Editor-Needed USDA Safety Nets in SE Colorado
US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue US Senator Michael Bennet US Senator Cory Gardner RE: Drought Disaster in SE Colorado & FAILURE of USDA Safety Nets-Emergency Measures Needed Dear Secretary Perdue, Senator Bennet, & Senator Gardner, The past three years have been devastating for farmers in S/E Colorado, due to extreme weather events, that greatly […]
2020 Will be a Dry Year
With the end of June marking the half year on the calendar, precipitation reports for southeast Colorado are stark. On June 22, Governor Jared Polis requested activation of Colorado’s Drought Task Force and Phase 2 of the State Drought Mitigation and Response Plan as drought conditions deepen, reaching more than 81% of the state, […]
Governor Polis Activates Drought Plan and Task Force
Severe Drought Expands Across Southern, Eastern Regions June 23, 2020 (Denver, CO) – Governor Jared Polis requested activation of Colorado’s Drought Task Force and Phase 2 of the State Drought Mitigation and Response Plan this week as drought conditions deepen, reaching more than 81% of the state, with severe and extreme drought conditions in 33% […]
CWCB May 2020 Drought Outlook
As predicted in last month’s report, snowpack has rapidly declined. Soils are exceptionally dry throughout the southern half of the state and much of the eastern plains. Thus, despite average mountain snowpack, drought conditions have quickly intensified – particularly in the San Luis Valley, Arkansas Valley, and parts of the western slope. Outlooks show […]
Drought Returning to Southern Colorado Areas
Moderate to Severe Drought Conditions Return to Portions of South Central and Southeast Colorado… SYNOPSIS… A wet and cool Spring of 2019, combined with the previous wet Winter of 2018 and 2019 allowed for the US Drought Monitor to declare all of Colorado drought free on May 21st of 2019, a […]
2019 Climate Year in Review across Southern Colorado
January of 2019 started out cold and unsettled, as a passing weather system ushered in some of the coldest air of the season across the area on New Year’s Day. The rest of January can be characterized by periodic weather disturbances moving through persistent moderate west to northwest flow aloft across the Rockies. This […]
2019-2020 Water Year Begins in Colorado
The State of Colorado began its 2019-2020 study of our drought situation this past Tuesday, October 1st noting that nearly 70% of Colorado is in the lowest level of drought classification, D-0 or ‘abnormally dry’. This classification registers for 596,000 residents in the state or 12% and covers 42.4% of Colorado. The only […]
CWCB August 2019 Drought Update
August has been warmer than average across the majority of the state and each basin, except for the Republican basin, has experienced below average precipitation. The North American monsoon season has been disappointing in Colorado and other parts of the Southwestern U.S. The monsoon season sometimes results in beneficial moisture for south central Colorado […]
Improvement in Drought Conditions across South Central and Southeast Colorado
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT – Pueblo – Mar 21, 2019 SYNOPSIS Abundant and much needed precipitation across Colorado`s High Country over the past few months has allowed the US Drought Monitor to indicate marked improvement in the drought that has plagued much of Colorado over the past year. Abundant precipitation through the first half of March, […]
Colorado River Basin States Move Forward with Contingency Plan to Address Looming Crisis
DENVER – The seven Colorado River Basin States of Colorado, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming signed a letter to Congress today requesting legislation to implement a negotiated contingency plan that responds to the historic dry conditions and the effects of climate change on the Colorado River. “Water is the lifeblood of […]
CWCB Drought Update, February 2019
In response to persistent and prolonged drought conditions throughout the southern half of the state and along the western border, the May 2, 2018 drought mitigation and response plan was activated for additional counties in northwest Colorado which were added in September. Calendar year 2019 has brought with it beneficial moisture that has nearly […]
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT – Slow Improvement In Drought Conditions Continue
National Weather Service National Weather Service Pueblo, CO SYNOPSIS…Updated Abundant and beneficial snow across much of Colorado`s Mountains over the past few months has prompted the US Drought Monitor to improve the Exceptional Drought (D4) conditions that has plagued southwest Colorado over the past year. With that said, the latest Drought Monitor, issued […]
CWCB January 2019 Drought Update
As of January 22nd, exceptional drought, D4, continues to affect southern Colorado covering 2.8 percent of the state, extreme drought, D3, covers 19 percent of the state; severe drought 20 percent and 26 percent is classified as moderate drought. An additional 16 percent of the state is currently experiencing abnormally dry conditions. Forecasters expect a […]
