The October floods in southwestern Colorado damaged homes and upended people’s lives, but there was one silver lining: A lot of the water also helped replenish reservoirs in the state.  The deluge, caused by tropical storms and hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean, dumped more than 480 billion gallons of water on five counties in southwestern Colorado. … But the water also bumped parts of the region out of severe and extreme drought. The amount of water stored in Colorado reservoirs surged or even doubled.

Other weather and water supply news across the West:

• ABC15 (Phoenix): Arizona’s October rainfall sets stage for crucial winter water season
• The New York Times: Atmospheric river brings powerful winds and rain to California, Oregon and Washington
• Los Angeles Times: As rain pounds parts of California, the year’s closest supermoon spurs king tides, coastal risks