Intermountain West Dashboard
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The Intermountain West Dashboard provides situational awareness of weather, 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 weather, drought, and water conditions for the Intermountain West are also available from these providers:
- Colorado CC/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
June 10, 2025 - CO, UT, WY
In May, regional precipitation was a mix of above and below normal conditions, with below normal precipitation occurring mainly in western Colorado, northern Utah, and western Wyoming, and above normal precipitation in southern Colorado and southwestern Utah. Temperatures were a mix of above, near, and below normal conditions, generally with warmer than normal temperatures in Utah and Wyoming and cooler than normal temperatures in much of Colorado. As of June 1, statewide percent median SWE was 54% in Colorado, 29% in Utah, and 62% in Wyoming. Seasonal streamflow volume forecasts are all below to much below average for the region. Regional drought coverage in late May was 53%, with extreme drought expanding in western Colorado, and persisting in southeastern Wyoming and southwestern Utah. ENSO-neutral conditions are expected to continue through early fall. The NOAA seasonal outlook for June-August suggests an increased probability of below average precipitation and above average temperatures in the region.
Regional May precipitation was a mix of above and below normal conditions. Below normal precipitation occurred mainly in western Colorado, northern Utah, and western Wyoming, with large swaths of 25-75% of normal conditions and a large pocket of 5-25% of normal conditions from Moffat County, Colorado, to Sweetwater County, Wyoming. Above normal precipitation occurred mainly in eastern and southern Colorado and southwestern Utah, with large swaths of 125-200% of normal conditions and several pockets of 200-400% of normal conditions, with the largest pocket over Rio Grande, Alamosa, Conejos, and Costilla Counties in Colorado.
Regional May temperatures were a mix of above, near, and below normal conditions. Much of Wyoming, central and southern Utah, and northern and western Colorado experienced two degrees above normal temperatures, while much of southern and eastern Colorado experienced two degrees below normal temperatures. Two to four degrees above normal temperatures occurred in much of Utah and western Wyoming, with pockets in eastern Wyoming and northwestern Colorado, while large pockets of two to four degrees below normal temperatures occurred in southern and eastern Colorado. One small pocket ranging from four to ten degrees above normal temperatures occurred in Park County, Wyoming, and one small pocket ranging from four to eight degrees below normal temperatures occurred in Las Animas County, Colorado.
June 1 snow-water equivalent (SWE) was below to much below normal for the majority of the region, with 50-69% of median conditions throughout most of Wyoming and less than 50% of median conditions across Utah and western Colorado. A few basins experienced near normal conditions, including the Tongue (118%), Bighorn (105%), and Arkansas (93%) River Basins. As of June 1, statewide percent median SWE was 54% in Colorado, 29% in Utah, and 62% in Wyoming.
June 1 seasonal (April-July) streamflow volume forecasts are all below to much below average for the region. Many river basins have much below average forecasts (50-69%), including the Animas, Upper Colorado, Gunnison, Rio Grande, South Platte, Yampa, Bear, Lower Green, Price, Six Creeks, Weber, Laramie, Upper Green, Powder, and Wind River Basins. Forecasts are below average (70-89%) for the Arkansas, Provo, Bighorn, Shoshone, Snake, Tongue, and Yellowstone River Basins. Forecasts are exceptionally below average (<50%) for the Dolores, San Juan, Duchesne, Sevier, Virgin, and North Platte River Basins. There are no basins with near average forecasts (90-109%) in the region. Seasonal streamflow is forecasted at 45% of average for Lake Powell.
Note: both NRCS and CBRFC provide seasonal streamflow forecasts for the Upper Colorado River Basin and these forecasts occasionally differ due to differences in streamflow forecasting models.
On May 27, drought conditions covered 53% of the region, a 1% regional improvement from April 29. Above normal precipitation in southeastern Colorado caused the removal of severe (D2) drought and much of the moderate (D1) drought conditions in that part of the state. However, extreme (D3) drought expanded on the West Slope of Colorado, as well as D2 and D1 drought conditions, causing statewide drought coverage to increase by 5%. Drought coverage decreased in Wyoming by 10%, and slightly in Utah by 2%, in May. However, D3 drought conditions persist in southeastern Wyoming and southwestern Utah.
ENSO-neutral conditions continued in May, and ENSO-neutral conditions are favored through the summer with chances exceeding 50% through early fall. The NOAA monthly outlook for June suggests an increased probability of above average precipitation in Colorado and southeastern Utah and below average precipitation in northern and western Wyoming, and above average temperatures for most of the region. The NOAA seasonal outlook for June-August suggests an increased probability of below average precipitation in Wyoming, northern Utah, and northern and eastern Colorado, and above average temperatures throughout the region, particularly in Utah, western Colorado, and southwestern Wyoming.
Significant weather event: Eastern Colorado tornadoes. On May 18, between 1-2 pm MT, four tornadoes occurred near the Denver metro area in Elbert, Arapahoe, and Adams Counties. Three of the four tornadoes were classified as EF2 tornadoes, which are considered significant (111-135 mph) tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale. The first EF2 tornado occurred in the Elkhorn Ranch neighborhood in northwest Elbert County, with estimated peak winds of 125 mph. The second and third EF2 tornadoes occurred west and north of Bennett, Colorado, with estimated peak winds of 125 mph and 112 mph, respectively. Many homes were damaged; however, there were no reported injuries or fatalities.
On May 23, between 5-6:15 pm MT, three tornadoes occurred in Logan and Washington Counties in northeastern Colorado, one of which was an EF2 tornado. The estimated peak wind of the EF2 tornado was 118 mph. The supercell that produced these tornadoes also produced golf ball to baseball-sized hail in northern Washington County. Most of the observed damage was snapped power poles and trees. There were no reported injuries or fatalities.
Photos by Caryn Hill (left) and Sirlin John (right), May 18, 2025.
Sources:
May 13, 2025 - CO, UT, WY
In April, regional precipitation was below to much below normal, particularly in eastern Colorado, northern Utah, and southeastern Wyoming, with some areas experiencing record-dry conditions. Temperatures were generally near normal, with some pockets of above normal temperatures scattered throughout the region. As of May 1, statewide percent median SWE was 58% in Colorado, 66% in Utah, and 86% in Wyoming. Seasonal streamflow volume forecasts are mostly below to much below average for the region. Regional drought coverage in late April remained at 54%, with extreme drought developing in Colorado, persisting in Utah, and improving in Wyoming. ENSO-neutral conditions are expected to continue through early fall. The NOAA seasonal outlook for May-July suggests an increased probability of below average precipitation and above average temperatures in the region.
April precipitation was below to much below normal for much of the region, where 25-50% of normal precipitation occurred in the majority of eastern Colorado and in large swaths of western Colorado, northern and southwestern Utah, and southeastern Wyoming. Pockets of 5-25% of normal precipitation occurred in eastern Colorado, western Utah, and southeastern Wyoming. Much of northern Wyoming experienced above normal precipitation, particularly in Park and Washakie Counties, with areas of 150-200% of normal precipitation. Additional pockets of 150-200% of normal precipitation occurred in Crook and Sublette Counties in Wyoming and Wayne and Garfield Counties in Utah, and one pocket of 200-300% of normal precipitation occurred in Cheyenne and Kiowa Counties in Colorado. Record-dry conditions occurred in Albany and Laramie Counties in southeastern Wyoming.
April temperatures were near normal, with most of the region experiencing two degrees above or below 0°F of normal. Large pockets of 2-4°F above normal temperatures occurred in southeastern and northwestern Colorado, southwestern and northern Utah, and southwestern Wyoming. One small pocket of 4-8°F above normal temperatures occurred in Park County, Wyoming.
May 1 snow-water equivalent (SWE) was below to much below normal for the majority of the region, with less than 50% of median conditions in southern Colorado, southern and western Utah, and northeastern Wyoming. The rest of Colorado and Utah, and much of Wyoming, experienced 50-89% of median conditions. However, northwestern Wyoming experienced near normal conditions (90-109%), and the Tongue River Basin in northern Wyoming saw above normal conditions.
As of May 1, statewide percent median SWE was 58% in Colorado, 66% in Utah, and 86% in Wyoming. The Tongue River Basin in Wyoming had the highest percent median SWE in the region at 112%. The basins with the lowest percent median SWE were the Escalante and Southeastern Utah River Basins in Utah, and the Belle Fourche and Cheyenne River Basins in Wyoming, all at 0% since they melted out. Peak SWE was observed on April 7 for Colorado (13.7 in), March 24 for Utah (14.2 in), and April 7 for Wyoming (16.3 in).
May 1 seasonal (April-July) streamflow volume forecasts are mostly below to much below average for the region. Most river basins have much below average forecasts (50-69%), particularly in Colorado and Utah. Forecasts are below average (70-89%) for the Upper Colorado, Gunnison, Lower Green, Price, Provo, Upper Green, and Yellowstone River Basins. Forecasts are exceptionally below average (<50%) for the Dolores, San Juan, Duchesne, Sevier, and Virgin River Basins. There are some basins with near average forecasts (90-109%) in Wyoming, including the Bighorn, Shoshone, Snake, Tongue, and Wind River Basins. Seasonal streamflow is forecasted at 55% of average for Lake Powell.
From the beginning to the end of April, regional drought coverage remained at 54%. Drought coverage expanded by 12% in Colorado, with extreme (D3) drought developing on the West Slope in Mesa, Delta, and Montrose Counties. Drought conditions improved in Utah by 4% and in Wyoming by 10%.
ENSO-neutral conditions continued in April, and ENSO-neutral conditions are favored through the summer with chances exceeding 50% through early fall. The NOAA monthly outlook for May suggests an increased probability of above average precipitation, particularly in southeastern Colorado, and above average temperatures, particularly in Wyoming. The NOAA seasonal outlook for May-July suggests an increased probability of below average precipitation, particularly in Wyoming, northern Colorado, and northern Utah, and above average temperatures, particularly in Utah, western Colorado, and southwestern Wyoming.
