Rio Blanco County drought today
The U.S. Drought Monitor's category for Rio Blanco County, Colorado (FIPS 08103), the share of its area in each category, and what it means for water users.
Area by category
| Category | This week | Week 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 | 99.2% | 100% |
| D3 Extreme drought or worse | 15.7% | 15.7% |
| D4 Exceptional drought | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Cumulative, as the Monitor reports them: each row includes the rows below it.
What it means for water users
Rio Blanco County is in D3 extreme drought: 15.7% of its area is in extreme drought or worse, conditions around the 2nd–5th percentile of the record.
By category alone this week: 0.8% D1, 83.5% D2, 15.6% D3 and 0.1% D4. About 3,195 of its 3,221 square miles are in D2 or worse.
Against the map of Sep 22, 2026, the category is unchanged at D3, and the share in D2 or worse went from 100% to 99.2%.
D2 or worse on the last 4 maps: 100% (Sep 8, 2026), 100% (Sep 15, 2026), 100% (Sep 22, 2026) and 99.2% (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
Rio Blanco County lies in Division 6, the Yampa-White-Green basin. Water there is administered by priority: see the basin's active calls and snowpack.
Nearby
Nearest stream gauges: White River below Meeker (5 mi), Piceance Creek below Ryan Gulch near Rio Blanco (6 mi), Piceance Creek at White River (8 mi) and Corral Gulch near Rangely (15 mi).
Nearby counties this week: Garfield County (D3, D2+ 100%), Moffat County (D3, D2+ 47.7%), Mesa County (D3, D2+ 96.9%) and Routt County (D4, D2+ 100%).