Colorado faces extreme drought and record heat

Colorado is experiencing extreme drought and record-breaking heat as the 2026 water year approaches its final month. According to Allie Mazurek, an engagement climatologist at the Colorado Climate Center, the state is approximately 2 degrees warmer than the previous hottest water year on record (1934) and more than 4 degrees warmer than the 1991–2020 average.

Through the end of July, Colorado ranked as the sixth driest state on record. The first ten months of the water year have included three months that were the hottest on record, with six months falling among the top ten hottest. July was the second-warmest month on record statewide, while parts of northwest Colorado experienced their hottest July in 132 years. Temperatures in August have also remained above average, particularly west of the Continental Divide.