Heavy autumn rains brought relief to drought-plagued portions of the Southwest, but across the Colorado River basin ongoing water supply concerns still linger amid tense policy negotiations and near record-low reservoir storage. Even after accounting for the heavy rain, 57% of the Colorado River watershed remains in severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. More than 11% of the basin is in extreme drought. … In response to extremely low water conditions, it’s possible water from upstream reservoirs in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico could be released to support Powell’s hydropower turbines. 

Other weather and water supply news across the West:

• The New York Times: Windy, wet weather hits the West Coast
• Denver Gazette (Colo.): Strong signals show better snowfall returns to Colorado for second half of November
• The Land Desk: Blog: Dinosaurs, big rains, thin snowpack, oh my