While the overall area considered “abnormally dry” decreased slightly in Colorado over the past week, the area in low-level drought increased.

According to the March 29 report, all of Prowers County and most of Baca County are in moderate drought. Drought also increased in eastern Bent County and a small sliver of southeast Las Animas County.

Much of the southeast quadrant of Kiowa County has also moved into moderate drought conditions. The remainder of the county is considered abnormally dry – as it has been for several weeks.

Conditions improved in northeast Colorado, thanks to heavy, wet snow last Wednesday and Thursday which reversed abnormally dry conditions that mainly impacted eastern Washington County.

Northwest Colorado was essentially unchanged, with about half of Moffat and extreme northern Routt Counties facing abnormally dry conditions.

In southwest Colorado, all of Mineral County is now considered abnormally dry, and similar conditions extended to half of Hinsdale County and much of La Platta.

The current forecast offers little hope of relief for southeast Colorado through the middle of next week, and yet another day of elevated fire danger is possible next Tuesday. Some forecast models are calling for widespread precipitation over the southeast Wednesday while other solutions keep the potential storm system further north. Check for updates in our weekend and week-ahead outlooks posted each Friday and Sunday.