We returned to drought conditions in June after May’s brief respite.  We recorded only 0.22 inch of precipitation in June, 1.68 inches short of normal, compared with May’s 3.52 inches, more than half an inch above normal.  May’s three inches came over four days, May 5th, 6th, 18th, and 19th.  So in the 43 days since the last big rain, we’ve had only 0.61 inch.  Mean temperatures measured in Longmont* were about 3 degrees above normal for the month, compared with near-normal for May.

Grasses and forbs which had exploded into a sea of green are drying up.  Most are not yet dormant, but they are fast approaching dormancy. There has been enough residual moisture for some of the first year grasses to develop seed heads. Grasses are still mostly green, but a lighter shade of green as they dry.  Some forbs have dried, especially the bindweed.  (Don’t worry, it will be back!)  Elk and deer visits have dropped off – in part because the elk have moved into the hills.  Flower beds, vegetables, and trees, whose watering schedule we’ve cut back because of Left Hand Water District’s voluntary restrictions, need supplemental hand watering, especially new transplants.  The conditions we are seeing now we usually don’t see until mid-to-late-July or even August.

Left Hand Water is still in a Stage 1 (mild) water shortage.  We are indirectly affected by smoke from several wildfires in the region, but fortunately, there are no significant fires in our vicinity.

Included are two photos from locations corresponding to last month’s photos, each taken about 2pm on July 2, 2026.  Compare these with those in our previous report.  One photo is a view of the north pasture looking NE with older and newly seeded grasses.  The other looks SW near the rain gauge and hail pad.  Trees, shrubs, and gardens are drip irrigated.  In April grasses were brown. In May, grasses were bright green or deep blue-green.  Now grasses are light blue-green or turning to yellow or brown.  

I used the nearest climgrid 30-year precipitation normals, and temperatures from Longmont 2 ESE.  I have only been reporting daily precipitation since mid-May, but I’ve been observing and recording it since May 2025.