Recent weather makes parts of southeastern Colorado drought-free

Southern Colorado has been pounded by severe weather in May, but the rain has brought more than just damage and headaches.

The National Weather Service says most of southeastern Colorado is drought-free. That’s compared to this time last year when the area was either in extreme or exceptional drought.

The NWS said southeastern Colorado is benefiting from the record rainfall in southern Colorado, along with rivers being full.

Gail Knapp owns Knapp Farms in Rocky Ford. She said being drought-free is good news.

“We can plant all of our acreage more than likely. We can count on having a better water source than what we had the last couple years with the drought,” she said.

Knapp said even though her farm is out of the drought, the severe weather did delay farming.

“The mixed hail and the 3- to 4-inch rain at times put everything underwater,” she said.

The NWS said this May is the sixth wettest month for Pueblo since the NWS started keeping record of it in 1888. As for Colorado Springs, May was the wettest month ever for the city.