Rivers in the Roaring Fork Watershed are flowing far below average at 11-43% of normal for this time of year. Several monsoonal storms moved through the last week and the most notable precipitation totals are 0.4” at Aspen Airport, 2” at Ivanhoe (Fryingpan River headwaters), and 1.3” at Schofield Pass (Crystal River headwaters). Any amount of precipitation is welcome but given that the last seven consecutive months had below average precipitation, a lot of rainfall over a much longer timeframe will be needed to recover from ongoing drought conditions.  How much rain do we need to catch up with ‘average’? Colorado state climatologists are reporting a 4” average precipitation deficit in the state so far since October 1, 2025 – the beginning of this water year.  The most beneficial rainfall is slow and steady giving time to soak into the ground. More intense rainfall is less beneficial for long term drought remediation as it will move over the landscape quickly causing landslides, as witnessed in the region over the last week.