Colorado Governor Jared Polis Declares Statewide Drought Emergency as 93 Percent of State Faces Severe Conditions

DENVER, Colorado — Worsening environmental conditions have prompted Colorado Governor Jared Polis to issue an official statewide drought emergency. The executive declaration activates Phase 3 of the state's Drought Response Plan, enabling closer coordination between state agencies, unlocking emergency response funds, and paving the way for potential federal disaster assistance.

According to data released by the United States Drought Monitor, nearly 93 percent of Colorado is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions, impacting all 64 counties across the state. The rapid deterioration of moisture levels follows an incredibly dry winter that produced record-low snowpack accumulation, which peaked nearly a month earlier than normal in March before rapidly melting away.

State climatologist Becky Bolinger engineering data trends emphasized that the current crisis is exceptionally unique due to its compounding factors. Bolinger noted that while Colorado has historically survived severe single-factor dry spells, the 2026 season combines the historic, record-breaking heat of the 2012 drought with winter snowpack numbers that fell even lower than those recorded during the devastating 2002 drought cycle.

Compounding the lack of winter precipitation, the current water year—which officially began on October 1, 2025—ranks as the single warmest across the region in 131 years of recorded climate history. This persistent, unseasonable warmth has drastically diminished soil moisture, triggered premature alpine runoff, reduced major river flows to a fraction of their normal volume, and significantly elevated the baseline wildfire risk heading into the peak summer months.

The escalation to Phase 3 allows the state to institute targeted water reduction strategies at public facilities and equips local leaders with the formal mechanisms required to request emergency resource allocation from Washington. Despite the alarming data, climate experts noted that the threshold for a localized drinking water crisis remains extremely low. Bolinger pointed out that Colorado maintains a sophisticated, resilient infrastructure for water management, and a vast majority of the state's residential population actively understands that water is a finite resource.

Even so, municipal managers along the Front Range are taking no chances as supplies tighten. The city of Denver alongside several adjacent metropolitan communities have already implemented mandatory outdoor watering restrictions to preserve regional reservoir balances, while conservation districts on the Western Slope have urged residential and agricultural water users to scale back use immediately.

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