Drought Early Warning in Colorado

Colorado is served by NIDIS's Intermountain West Drought Early Warning System (DEWS). A regional DEWS is a network of federal, tribal, state, local, and academic partners who work together to make information accessible and useful for drought planning and response. The Intermountain West DEWS has served this region since 2009, and includes Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and western New Mexico. 

The climates across the Intermountain West typically experience high variability in rain and snow totals, making the region highly susceptible to drought. In addition, the arid nature of the region places high demand on the Colorado River and other water sources. Colorado is a headwaters state to four major river basins: the Rio Grande, Colorado, Platte, and Arkansas. 

This 2-page fact sheet summarizes how the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) supports drought early warning activities across the state through the Intermountain West DEWS.