Colorado remains ‘epicenter’ of worst drought conditions in the West, as heat records pile up

Colorado remains ‘epicenter’ of worst drought conditions in the West, as heat records pile up

As Colorado nears the final month of the 2026 water year, extreme drought is persisting across the state as many regions, including the Western Slope, continue to rack up records when it comes to heat as well as precipitation — and the lack thereof. “We continue to be way above anything that we’ve seen in the data record for Colorado; we’re about 2 degrees warmer than the previous hottest water year to date on record — that was 1934 — and over 4…