Historical analysis of precipitation and other drought INDICES SHOW that drought is a frequent occurrence in Colorado. Short duration drought as defined by the three-month Standardized Precipitation INDEX (SPI) occur somewhere in Colorado in nearly nine out of every TEN years. However, severe, widespread multiyear droughts are much less common. Since 1893, Colorado has experienced seven droughts that are widely considered “severe.” These droughts affected most of the state, involved record-breaking dry SPELLS, and/or lasted for multiple years.

Historical analysis of precipitation and other drought indices show that drought is a frequent occurrence in Colorado. Short duration drought as defined by the three-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) occur somewhere in Colorado in nearly nine out of every ten years. However, severe, widespread multiyear droughts are much less common. Since 1893, Colorado has experienced seven droughts that are widely considered “severe.” These droughts affected most of the state, involved record-breaking dry spells, and/or lasted for multiple years.