Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In Colorado — where more than 95% of the state faces drought conditions and the Colorado River runoff sits significantly below average levels — experts are hopeful El Niño could provide the state with a burst of much needed moisture. But whether that happens remains a tossup.
El Niño, whose name — meaning “little boy” in Spanish — comes from South American fishermen who observed the pattern in the 1600s, tends to create wetter conditions in the southern U.S. and drier conditions in the north. States like Arizona and New Mexico may receive more moisture, while Oregon and Washington often see drier conditions.
But “no two El Niño events bring the same impacts,” Karnauskas said.
Predicting how El Niño may affect Colorado is even harder.
“Colorado is in the center of those two trends,” said Brad Udall, senior water and climate research scientist at the Colorado Water Center. “We’re the donut hole if you will.”
Even in normal years, Colorado offers forecasters some of the most complicated conditions in the country. In most states, for example, precipitation is fairly uniform. The wettest month is often the same throughout the entire state. Colorado is the only state where every month can claim the title of wettest, depending on where in the state you are, Udall said. “It’s pretty weird here.”
Data from past El Niño years provides little insight into how Colorado’s water supply might fare this year.
Read more at rmpbs.org/news
Produced by Cormac McCrimmon
#elnino #coloradowater
In Colorado — where more than 95% of the state faces drought conditions and the Colorado River runoff sits significantly below average levels — experts are hopeful El Niño could provide the state with a burst of much needed moisture. But whether that happens remains a tossup.
El Niño, whose name — meaning “little boy” in Spanish — comes from South American fishermen who observed the pattern in the 1600s, tends to create wetter conditions in the southern U.S. and drier conditions in the north. States like Arizona and New Mexico may receive more moisture, while Oregon and Washington often see drier conditions.
But “no two El Niño events bring the same impacts,” Karnauskas said.
Predicting how El Niño may affect Colorado is even harder.
“Colorado is in the center of those two trends,” said Brad Udall, senior water and climate research scientist at the Colorado Water Center. “We’re the donut hole if you will.”
Even in normal years, Colorado offers forecasters some of the most complicated conditions in the country. In most states, for example, precipitation is fairly uniform. The wettest month is often the same throughout the entire state. Colorado is the only state where every month can claim the title of wettest, depending on where in the state you are, Udall said. “It’s pretty weird here.”
Data from past El Niño years provides little insight into how Colorado’s water supply might fare this year.
Read more at rmpbs.org/news
Produced by Cormac McCrimmon
#elnino #coloradowater
