Rio Grande County drought today
The U.S. Drought Monitor's category for Rio Grande County, Colorado (FIPS 08105), 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 | 100% | 100% |
| D3 Extreme drought or worse | 89.6% | 89.6% |
| D4 Exceptional drought | 1.4% | 42.9% |
Cumulative, as the Monitor reports them: each row includes the rows below it.
What it means for water users
Rio Grande County is in D3 extreme drought: 89.6% of its area is in extreme drought or worse, conditions around the 2nd–5th percentile of the record.
By category alone this week: 10.3% D2, 88.2% D3 and 1.4% D4. About 912 of its 912 square miles are in D2 or worse.
Against the map of Sep 22, 2026, the category improved from D4 to D3, 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
Rio Grande County lies in Division 3, the Rio Grande basin. Water there is administered by priority: see the basin's active calls and snowpack.
Nearby
Nearest stream gauges: Alamosa River below Terrace Reservoir (13 mi), Rio Grande near Del Norte (14 mi), Rio Grande at Alamosa (32 mi) and Conejos River near Mogote (33 mi).
Nearby counties this week: Conejos County (D3, D2+ 97.1%), Mineral County (D3, D2+ 71.2%), Alamosa County (D4, D2+ 100%) and Archuleta County (D1, D2+ <0.1%).