(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Southern Colorado continues to struggle under drought conditions as hot, dry weather has dominated the region recently. A new U.S. Drought Monitor update, released Thursday, Aug. 21, paints a picture, with several parts of the state now experiencing extreme to exceptional drought, and closer to home, three levels of drought.
The latest map reveals that the lighter shades above are spreading across key areas. Particularly alarming are the regions currently under exceptional drought, the highest category. These zones overlap with recent wildfire activity and red flag warnings issued just last week, highlighting the direct impact of prolonged dryness.
Closer to home, along the I-25 corridor, conditions have started drying out quickly. The area is now graphing three different levels of drought simultaneously, largely due to a persistent lack of rain over the past month.
In Colorado Springs, only 0.08 inches of precipitation have been recorded this month, which is far below the August average of just over two inches. Pueblo is facing a similar shortfall. The city typically sees about 1.5 inches of rain in August, but has only received three-tenths of an inch so far.
Despite the stats, there may be some hope on the horizon. Forecasts suggest a shift in the weather pattern this weekend, with increased chances for widespread rainfall that could help ease the drought conditions across the region…