COLORADO POLITICS — If you suspected the drought this year is one for the record books, you’re right — especially for southwestern Colorado.
The Colorado water year, which concludes Sept. 30, looks to be the fourth driest on record since the state began tracking water supplies 123 years ago.
Southwestern Colorado is expected to set a record for the lowest precipitation and driest water year on record, according to water officials who met Tuesday to review the state’s water supplies. Statewide, 2018 looks to be about the fourth driest, behind 1934, 2002 and 2012, with precipitation (rain and snow) about 4.55 inches below the statewide average of 16.67 inches.
The Water Resources Task Force meets monthly to review precipitation and water levels at about 80 reservoirs scattered throughout the state. The review covers a water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30*.
It hasn’t been a good water year for most of Colorado. It started out badly with the warmest November on record, according to Zach Schwalbe of the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. And this water year shapes up to be the third warmest on record, behind 1934 and 2000, at about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the yearly average of 47.1 degrees.
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