- Dry conditions continued across much of the Colorado River Basin.
- Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and parts of Wyoming saw worsening drought conditions.
- Most areas west of the Rocky Mountains received little to no meaningful rainfall.
- Above-normal temperatures increased stress on soils, rivers, and vegetation.
Saturday, May 23, 2026 — The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report
paints a troubling picture for much of the American West as hot temperatures and very limited rainfall continued to tighten drought conditions across the Colorado River Basin.
Across the United States, weather patterns swung sharply from one extreme to another during the week. Parts of the Midwest and South dealt with violent storms, tornadoes, and heavy rain, while much of the West remained dry under unusually warm conditions. Some areas of the Southwest recorded temperatures as much as 9 degrees above normal, adding more pressure to already stressed landscapes.
Colorado River Basin Stays Dry.
For the seven Colorado River Basin states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — the report showed a familiar and growing problem: very little precipitation and expanding drought.
Large portions of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, California, and New Mexico received less than one-tenth of an inch of rainfall during the reporting period. In many places, there was effectively no measurable rain at all.
The lack of moisture allowed drought conditions to worsen across several parts of the basin. Extreme drought (D3) expanded in portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Severe drought (D2) also spread farther into Arizona.
Colorado and Wyoming saw a mixed picture. Most of the region remained dry, particularly across western areas, but parts of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming received enough rainfall to slightly improve some drought zones. Even so, southern Colorado experienced expansion of extreme drought conditions during the week.
Heat Adds Pressure to the Basin.
The report noted that temperatures across the Southwest were significantly above average. Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico experienced some of the warmest conditions in the region, while parts of Colorado and Kansas saw temperatures climb 6 to 12 degrees above normal.
Warm temperatures can worsen drought impacts even without record heat. Higher temperatures increase evaporation from reservoirs, dry out soils more quickly, and place added stress on crops, rangelands, and forests.
The report also warned that wildfire risk remained elevated across dry sections of the West because of ongoing moisture deficits and extremely low rainfall totals.
Little Relief Across the Interior West.
While parts of Washington and Oregon benefited from storms and drought improvements, most of the interior West stayed dry. The report described a sharp contrast between the wet Pacific Northwest and the rest of the western United States, where dry-season conditions are already beginning to settle in.
Forecasts for late May suggest that some cooler temperatures and mountain snow could briefly return to portions of Colorado and Wyoming. However, the longer-range outlook favors warmer-than-normal conditions across much of the country, including much of the West.
As the summer season approaches, the Colorado River Basin enters another period of uncertainty with shrinking moisture reserves, expanding drought coverage, and increasing heat across the region.
