DENVER The western parts of the north and central Colorado mountains may have seen brief relief from a couple of storms that dropped more than foot of snow this week, but statewide data released Thursday shows Colorados drought situation has only gotten worse.Mapping released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly a quarter of the state, including areas like Aspen, Vail and Steamboat Springs, are now under exceptional drought conditions the most severe category in the USDM classification system. How are Denver-area water districts handling water restrictions? Watch our report in the video player below: How are Denver-area water districts handling water restrictions?To put that into perspective: Thats a 16% increase in exceptional drought coverage across the state in just the past week, according to the USDM. As of Thursday, practically all of Colorado is under some form of moderate to severe drought.Under such dry conditions, the USDM states agricultural and recreational economic losses are large, and dust storms and topsoil removal are widespread. Use the slider in the image below to compare drought conditions across the state over the past week: Those dry conditions are to blame for Colorado ski resorts shuttering operations for the reason weeks ahead of schedule, with the Mary Jean area at Winter Park announcing it was closing for the season about a month and-a-half earlier than last year.Steamboat Ski Resort is closing about two weeks earlier than last year this weekend, with Eldora, Snowmass and Telluride wrapping up operations about two weeks ahead of last year.The Drought Severity and Coverage Index for Colorado, which measures the overall intensity of drought, was at 323 this week an increase from the 254 index from a week prior. The last time the drought index was this high was on April 30, 2013, when moderate to severe drought conditions persisted throughout the state.South-Central Colorado and the Grand Junction area are seeing some of the driest conditions, with the Upper Colorado-Dolores basin reporting 14% of normal snowpack this week, followed by the Upper Arkansas basin at 15%, the Rio Grande Headwaters at 17% and the Gunnison basin at 24%, respectively.The Colorado, White-Yampa, South Platte and North Platte basins in northern and northwestern Colorado showed boosts in snowpack this week, but levels were still only between 30% to 42% of normal, according to the National Resources Conservation Service.Statewide snowpack, which saw some gains due to precipitation from mid-February to mid-March, is also painting a dire picture for the summer ahead, with snow water equivalent values well below 30% of normal for this time year.NRCS data shows this years snowpack across Colorado has been the worst on record since data tracking began nearly 40 years ago. As a result of this low snowpack, Denver and many other municipalities across the metro have enacted water restrictions not seen since 2013 in an attempt to preserve much-needed water to protect landscapes and ensure enough water for public health, safety, and the regions economy.Colorados unusually warm winter has also broken some records, along with a sweltering heat wave over the past several weeks which drove temperatures 20 to 30 degrees above average during one of the states snowiest months.The stretch of warm weather can be blamed on a combination of the weather pattern known as La Nia, which leads to warmer and drier conditions for the southern U.S., and a high-pressure system that drove temperatures above normal for much of the winter.Its been so warm, in fact, Colorado experienced its warmest winter on record.Closer to home, Denver also saw some record-breaking temperatures. In March, Denver broke the record for the warmest temperature on average, the most days above 80 degrees, and warmest recorded temperature for the whole month with a high of 87 degrees.Despite a brief cool down to wrap up the week, Denver will see temperatures climb to the low 60s on Saturday, with 70 degrees expected for Easter Sunday. Temperatures will remain in the upper 60s to low 70s at the start of next week.How are the drought and potential water restrictions affecting your daily life, your neighborhood, or your livelihood? Share your experiences, concerns, and questions with a Denver7 reporter by email [email protected]. Your story could be part of our ongoing coverage as we track the impacts across our communities. What concerns you most about Colorados low snowpack and warm, dry winter? What solutions or watersaving strategies are you using or wish your community would adopt? How will water restrictions or drought conditions changed your daily routine?If you're searching for how your Colorado community is responding, or what restrictions are in place where you live, Denver7 is updating that information in this link. ...read more read less