Colorado River reservoirs drop to 30-year lows

 

Map:  U.S. Drought Monitor

Headline:  Western Water, 7/25/2026

David Simeral reports:

The seven states that lean on the Colorado River, namely Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, saw conditions move in both directions. 

In eastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming, things got worse. Dry weather, excessive heat, and thirsty air combined to deepen the drought. That thirsty air is what scientists call elevated evaporative demand, which is essentially the atmosphere pulling extra moisture out of soil and plants. There was some good news as well. 

In the Southwest, summer monsoon thunderstorms dropped welcome rain on scattered parts of the Four Corners states, meaning Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, along with eastern Nevada. Farther west, though, dry weather held firm across the western Great Basin and the Pacific states.

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