Roughly half of Colorado has escaped drought, but 'extreme' drought still present

Dryness continues to decline in Colorado, with the entire western half of the state escaping drought following a snowy season.

Data collected on March 14 and released on March 16 indicates that just 36 percent of the state is experiencing drought. This compares to 92 percent of the state this time last year. Perhaps even more impressive, just nine percent of the state is experiencing drought at severity levels two through four compared to 57 percent this time last year.

While drought is gone in the western region of Colorado, the Eastern Plains have some problematic areas, particularly in the northeast and southeast. The southeast region is also the only region where snowpack lags behind the norm. It's currently 80 percent of the to-date 30-year median compared to the entire state (including the southeast), which is at 129 percent of the norm.