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
July 10, 2025 - CO, UT, WY
During June, much of the region experienced above average temperatures and below average precipitation. Record low precipitation fell across parts of northern Utah and southwestern Wyoming while much above average precipitation was observed in southern Utah and southwestern Colorado. As of July 1, seasonal snowmelt was completed with many mountain locations melting out 1-2 weeks earlier than average. Seasonal streamflow volume forecasts remained below to much below normal with the inflow to Lake Powell forecasted to be 42% of average. Regional coverage of drought expanded significantly from 53% in early June to 63% on July 1, driven largely by expansion of drought in Utah. Drought conditions are likely to persist or worsen as NOAA seasonal forecasts suggest above average regional temperatures and below average precipitation for Wyoming during July to September.
Above average June precipitation was observed in southern Utah, eastern Wyoming and the majority of Colorado. Much of Utah and Wyoming and northwestern Colorado received below average precipitation during June. Parts of southern Colorado and southern Utah received twice the average June rainfall while some locations in northern Utah and southwestern Wyoming observed record low June rainfall totals. Average June rainfall is typically low in the Intermountain West and areas of southern Utah and southwestern Colorado with 150-400% of average June rainfall observed total rainfall amounts of 1-2 inches.
June temperatures were above average for much of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, except for eastern Colorado and Wyoming where temperatures were up to two degrees below average. The warmest temperatures were observed in Utah, northwestern Colorado, and western Wyoming where June average temperatures were in the top 10% of all observations since 1895.
As of July 1st, snowpack was melted out across the region and snowmelt occurred earlier than average across all basins except the Tongue River Basin in northern Wyoming. In Colorado, snowmelt occurred only a few days early in the Arkansas and South Platte River Basins, around a week early in the Animas, Colorado Headwaters, Dolores, Gunnison and Yampa River Basins, two weeks early in the San Juan River Basin and nearly four weeks early in the Rio Grande River Basin. In Utah, snowmelt was only a few days early in the Bear River Basin, 1-2 weeks early in the northern Utah, Price, Sevier and Virgin River Basins and 24 days early in the Escalante River Basin. In Wyoming, snowmelt occurred earlier than average in all basins except the Tongue River Basin, with the Belle Fouche, Cheyenne and Snake River Basins melting out 2-3 weeks early.
Regional drought coverage expanded from 53% in early June to 63% as of July 1 with all of Utah and about half of Colorado and Wyoming experiencing drought. Extreme (D3) drought conditions expanded in western Colorado but were removed from southwestern Utah and southeastern Wyoming where above average June precipitation was observed. Drought worsened by one to two classes in northern Utah and southwestern Wyoming, but drought conditions improved in portions of eastern and southern Colorado and southern Utah. In eastern Wyoming, drought conditions improved by one to three drought classes.
Seasonal streamflow volume forecasts remained below to much below average with the final forecasts of the year ranging from 33% of average for Utah’s Bear and Virgin River Basins to 86% of average in Wyoming’s Shoshone and Yellowstone River Basins. For nearly all regional river basins, streamflow volume forecasts significantly decreased from April 1 to June or July 1. The evolution of the Yampa River seasonal streamflow forecast exemplifies a pattern seen across the Intermountain West. After a near average winter snowpack, the April 1 forecast indicated an average seasonal streamflow volume, but by July 1, the Yampa River forecast declined to only 51% of average. Much below streamflow volume forecasts (<60% of average) were issued for the Colorado Headwaters, Dolores, San Juan and Yampa River Basins in Colorado, the Bear, Duchesne, Green, San Juan, Sevier, Virgin and Weber River Basins in Utah, and the Green, North Platte and Powder River Basins in Wyoming. The inflow forecast for Lake Powell was a paltry 42% of average on July 1.
ENSO neutral conditions currently exist in the eastern Pacific Ocean and remain most likely throughout the forecast period. The NOAA seasonal precipitation forecast for July-September suggests an increased probability of below average precipitation for Wyoming and northeastern Colorado. The seasonal temperature forecast suggests a high probability of above average temperatures for the entire region.
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.
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