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Huerfano County drought today

The U.S. Drought Monitor's category for Huerfano County, Colorado (FIPS 08055), the share of its area in each category, and what it means for water users.

Figures as of · Advisory only — confirm water rights with Colorado DWR.

CategoryD4Exceptional drought; the most severe category covering at least 5% of the countyU.S. Drought Monitor, map valid Sep 29, 2026
D2 or worse100%of the county's area in severe, extreme or exceptional droughtU.S. Drought Monitor, map valid Sep 29, 2026
Since last weekNo changemap of Sep 22, 2026U.S. Drought Monitor, map valid Sep 29, 2026

Area by category

CategoryThis weekWeek before
No category
No drought
0%0%
D0
Abnormally dry or worse
100%100%
D1
Moderate drought or worse
100%100%
D2
Severe drought or worse
100%100%
D3
Extreme drought or worse
97.5%97.5%
D4
Exceptional drought
26.5%26.5%

Cumulative, as the Monitor reports them: each row includes the rows below it.

What it means for water users

Huerfano County is in D4 exceptional drought: 26.5% of its area is in exceptional drought or worse, conditions around the 0–2nd percentile of the record.

By category alone this week: 2.5% D2, 71% D3 and 26.5% D4. About 1,591 of its 1,591 square miles are in D2 or worse.

Against the map of Sep 22, 2026, the category is unchanged at D4, with the same share in D2 or worse (100%).

The share in D2 or worse was the same, 100%, on all 4 maps from Sep 8, 2026 to Sep 29, 2026.

USDA uses the Monitor to trigger drought disaster designations; the county FSA office confirms what applies.

It is not water administration: calls on its streams depend on streamflow and priority, not on this category.

Where its water is administered

Huerfano County lies in Division 2, the Arkansas basin. Water there is administered by priority: see the basin's active calls and snowpack.

Nearby

Nearest stream gauges: St. Charles River at Burnt Mill (27 mi), Purgatoire River at Madrid (42 mi), Arkansas River above Pueblo (42 mi) and Arkansas River at Moffat Street at Pueblo (44 mi).

Nearby counties this week: Custer County (D3, D2+ 100%), Costilla County (D4, D2+ 100%), Pueblo County (D3, D2+ 57.9%) and Alamosa County (D4, D2+ 100%).

More

Sources

  1. U.S. Drought Monitor