Intermountain West Climate Dashboard
Western Water Assessment needs your help improving the Intermountain West Climate Dashboard! Please share your input in this short, anonymous survey which should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
The Intermountain West Climate Dashboard provides situational awareness of climate, drought, and water resources for Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
Click the question mark icon above each graphic to see the description of that graphic.
Weekly or monthly summaries of evolving climate, drought, and water conditions for the Intermountain West are also available from these providers:
- Colorado Climate Center/NIDIS Intermountain West Drought Status Briefings
- NOAA CBRFC Water Supply Briefings for the Colorado River Basin and Great Basin - monthly, January through May
- NRCS Water Supply Outlook Reports for Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming - monthly, January through May/June
Temperature, Precipitation and Snowpack
Drought Conditions
Current Streamflow, Forecasted Streamflow
Soil Moisture
Reservoir Storage
Precipitation Forecast
Seasonal Climate Outlooks
ENSO Conditions and Forecasts
Latest Briefing
November 13, 2024 - CO, UT, WY
October precipitation varied widely across the region, particularly in Colorado with southern Colorado seeing above normal conditions and northern Colorado generally seeing below normal conditions. October temperatures were above to much above normal throughout the region, with Utah experiencing its warmest October on record and Colorado and Wyoming their second warmest. Regional snow-water equivalent (SWE) was variable, with the majority of Utah and southern Colorado observing above normal SWE and northern Colorado and Wyoming observing below normal SWE. By the end of October, drought conditions expanded since September, now covering 53% of the region. ENSO-neutral conditions continued in October and there is a 53% chance of La Niña conditions developing by early winter. The NOAA seasonal outlook for November-January suggests an increased probability of below normal precipitation for much of Colorado and southern Utah and above normal temperatures for the whole region.
Regional precipitation was variable in October, ranging from above to below normal conditions in each state. Colorado experienced the widest variance of conditions, from as low as 5-25% of normal precipitation along the Front Range and in northeastern Colorado, to 200-300% of normal precipitation in southern Colorado. A small area in Las Animas County, Colorado experienced greater than 300% of normal precipitation. October precipitation was 5-25% of normal in southeastern Wyoming. October precipitation was in the bottom 10% of the period of record in northwestern and southeastern Wyoming as well as northern Colorado, while precipitation was in the top 10% of all years in southern Colorado.
October temperatures were 4-8ºF above normal throughout the region. Pockets of 8-10°F above normal temperatures were observed in northern and eastern Utah, northern Colorado, and southern Wyoming. A few pockets of 2-4°F above normal temperatures occurred in each state, and one small pocket of near normal (0-2°F) temperatures occurred in Mineral County, Colorado. Large areas throughout the region experienced record-warm temperatures for October. Regionally, Utah experienced its warmest October on record, while Colorado and Wyoming had their second warmest. Additionally, many other states in the West experienced their warmest or second warmest Octobers on record, including Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and California and Montana, respectively.
As of November 1, snow-water equivalent (SWE) was variable across the region. SWE was above normal for the majority of Utah, with much above normal conditions in the Upper Colorado-Dolores River (592%), Great Salt Lake (588%), and Jordan River Basins (204%). Much above normal SWE also was observed in southwestern Colorado and northeastern Wyoming basins. Below normal SWE was observed in the majority of Wyoming, with much below normal SWE in the Upper Yellowstone (41%) and Snake Headwaters Basins (41%). The South Platte Basin in Colorado also experienced much below normal SWE at 37% of normal. In Colorado, most SNOTEL sites reported 0-2" of SWE with a high of 6” at Beartown near Telluride. In Utah, most SNOTEL sites reported 0-1" of SWE with a high of 2.4” at Steel Creek Park in the Uinta Mountains. Lastly, in Wyoming, most SNOTEL sites reported 0-1" of SWE with a high of 2.3” at Bald Mountain in the Bighorn Mountains.
Note: Current SWE as a percent of normal maps are often skewed at this time of year due to the very low average SWE this early in the season.
At the end of October, drought covered 53% of the region, up from 31% drought coverage in September. As of mid-October, drought conditions covered the entire state of Wyoming. Severe (D2) drought coverage more than doubled and extreme (D3) drought coverage tripled in Wyoming, and a small pocket of exceptional (D4) drought emerged in northeastern Wyoming. In Colorado, D1 drought coverage nearly doubled, D2 drought nearly tripled, and D3 drought emerged along the northern Front Range. Lastly, in Utah, D1 drought coverage doubled and D2 drought emerged in Washington County.
Regional streamflow conditions were near to below normal during October. Below normal streamflow conditions were observed in multiple river basins of each state with much below normal conditions in parts of the Gunnison, North Platte, South Platte, Republican, and Arkansas River Basins in Colorado; the Lower Green and Lower Colorado River Basins in Utah; and the Big Horn, Upper Green, and North Platte River Basins in Wyoming. Much above normal conditions were observed in the East Fork Sevier River Basin in Utah.
ENSO-neutral conditions continued during October with near to below average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which triggered a La Niña Watch from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. There is a 53% chance of La Niña emerging by December and a 53% chance of it persisting through December-February. There is a 55% chance of ENSO-neutral conditions returning by January-March, according to the IRI Model-Based Probabilistic ENSO Forecast. Note, there is a discrepancy between the NOAA and IRI ENSO forecasts at this time. The NOAA seasonal outlook for November-January suggests an increased probability of below normal precipitation for southern Colorado and southeastern Utah, and above normal precipitation for northwestern Wyoming. There is an increased probability of above normal temperatures for the entire region, particularly in southern Colorado and southeastern Utah.
Significant climate event: Record October heat. Salt Lake City experienced its warmest October on record in 2024, with the first 16 days reaching 80°F or above. The average temperature for the month was 62.4°F, surpassing the previous record of 60.5°F set in 2015. Other Utah cities also saw record-breaking average temperatures: St. George at 69.9°F, Provo at 61°F, Fillmore at 60.7°F, Escalante at 60.6°F, Price at 58.6°F, Lehi at 57.9°F, Manti at 56.6°F, Park City at 52.9°F, and Alta at 47.1°F. Northern Colorado experienced very dry weather and significantly above normal temperatures as well, with only two days of measurable precipitation and 26 days of above normal temperatures. Colorado was on track to have its warmest October on record, but a cold front in the last two days caused the average monthly temperature to slip to the second warmest on record. In Denver, the mean October temperature was 59.1°F, which was 8.0°F above normal, making it the second warmest October on record. Precipitation was much below average at 0.11 inches, which is 0.88 inches below normal. No snow was observed, which is 3.9 inches below the average October snowfall.
October 8, 2024 - CO, UT, WY
September precipitation was below to much below normal, particularly in Utah and Wyoming where record-dry conditions occurred. Temperatures were above to much above normal, breaking many record-warm temperatures in the region, particularly in Wyoming. Due to below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures in September, regional drought expanded by 7%, now covering 31% of the region. Neutral-ENSO conditions are transitioning into La Niña conditions with a 62% probability forecast that La Niña will develop by early winter. NOAA seasonal forecasts for October-December suggest an increased probability of below average precipitation and above average temperatures for the region.
Regional precipitation during September was below to much below normal, with pockets of above normal precipitation in south-central and southeastern Colorado and northwestern Wyoming. Much below normal precipitation occurred throughout the majority of Utah and Wyoming, with exceptionally below normal (<2%) conditions in southern, western, and eastern Utah, and central Wyoming. Record-dry conditions were scattered throughout Utah and Wyoming with particularly large pockets in Tooele, Kane, and San Juan Counties in Utah.
The region experienced at least 2-4°F above normal temperatures throughout the majority of the region in September, with large areas of 4-6°F above normal temperatures in each state. Pockets of 6-8°F above normal conditions were observed in Utah and Wyoming, with a large swath of these conditions in northeastern Wyoming. The greatest departure from normal temperatures was observed in a pocket of 8-10°F above normal conditions in Weston County, Wyoming. Record-warm temperatures occurred in a staggering amount of Wyoming, particularly in the eastern half of the state, as well as a large pocket from Denver up to Larimer and Weld Counties in Colorado.
The first accumulating snow fell across many mountain locations above 11,000 feet in Colorado on September 4. As of October 1, the highest amount of SWE is at Berthoud Summit in Colorado at 0.3 inches of SWE. Almost all other mountains in the region remain at 0 inches of SWE.
At the end of September, 31% of the region was covered by drought, a 7% expansion since the end of August. Wyoming experienced the most severe drought conditions, with D1 (moderate) drought expanding to 62% and D3 (extreme) drought conditions more than doubling in coverage up to 9% of the state’s area. D1 and D2 (severe) drought conditions both doubled in coverage in Colorado during September. Despite hot and dry conditions, drought coverage in Utah changed little during September.
Streamflow in regional rivers was near to below normal during September. Much below normal streamflow occurred in the New Fork River basin in Wyoming, Big Thompson and Purgatoire River basins in Colorado, and the northern end of the Chinle River basin in Utah. Above normal streamflow occurred in the Wyoming portion of the North Platte River basin, the Upper Laramie River basin in Wyoming, the Colorado portion of the South Platte River basin, and the East Fork Sevier River basin in Utah. Lastly, much above normal streamflow occurred in the Spanish Fork River basin in Utah.
Near-to-below average sea surface temperatures were observed in the eastern Pacific Ocean, consistent with neutral-ENSO conditions. Current forecasts indicate a 62% probability of La Niña developing by December and a 59% probability of neutral-ENSO conditions returning by March. The NOAA monthly precipitation outlook for October suggests an increased probability of below average precipitation for the entire region, with below (50-60%) average conditions for all of Colorado. The monthly temperature outlook suggests an increased probability of above (60-80%) average conditions for the entire region. The NOAA seasonal outlook for October-December suggests an increased probability of below average precipitation for southern Utah and most of Colorado, and above average temperatures for the entire region, particularly in Colorado and Utah, with likely above (60-70%) average conditions in the Four Corners region.
Significant climate event: Late September heat wave. After cooler conditions during mid-September, a significant heat wave settled over the Intermountain West from September 25-30. The six-day period was the hottest on record for many weather monitoring sites with at least 50 years of data. All-time average high temperature records for September 25-30 were set at 28% of long-term weather monitoring sites in Colorado (29 of 105), 38% of sites in Utah (36 of 94), and 43% of sites in Wyoming (34 of 80). The September 25-30 heat was also significant because of the magnitude of heat across the region. The maximum temperatures reached during the heat wave included 104ºF in St. George, UT, 102ºF in Sheridan, WY, and 97ºF in Pueblo, CO, all of which were daily maximum temperature records. Several sites shattered the old all-time average maximum temperature record for September 25-30 including Gillette and Laramie, WY where the previous records were broken by 8.1ºF and 5.5ºF, respectively. During the heat wave, many sites set daily temperature records on multiple days. Across Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, 17 sites set daily high temperature records on three days, 18 sites set daily temperature records on four days, and 4 sites set daily temperature records on four days. Two sites, Neola, UT, and Grand Junction, CO set daily high temperature records on all six days. Looking back to August predictions of temperature, the NOAA forecast for September correctly forecasted a 70-80% chance of above average temperatures during September. Across North America, a series of late September extreme weather events were interrelated, beginning with an anomalous atmospheric river event in northern British Columbia and southern Alaska which set up a ridging pattern that led to favorable conditions for the late September heat wave and then created conditions that interacted with Hurricane Helene in the southeastern United States.
