For the second straight week, drought conditions have improved across the Southeast, according to the Dec. 18 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The driest area in the region is still observed in South Georgia and North Florida. Extreme drought conditions in South Georgia include parts of Decatur, Grady, Thomas and Brooks counties. Extreme drought conditions in North Florida include all or parts of Calhoun, Liberty, Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla and Jefferson counties.
Severe drought in North Florida includes other areas in the Panhandle, including Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Madison, Hamilton, Suwanee and Lafayette counties. Severe drought is also observed along the west coast of Florida in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Hardee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Charlotte counties.
Moderate drought in Florida is located in most of North Florida and extends southward to Monroe and Miami-Dade counties.
Severe drought in South Georgia starts in Seminole and Miller counties and extends eastward to Liberty, Long and Wayne counties. Severe drought in west Georgia includes Harris, Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion, Talbot, Meriwether, Upson, Taylor, Schley, Macon, Peach and Crawford counties.
Extreme drought remains prevalent in the western part of the state, which includes Choctaw, Marengo, Greene and Hale counties. Severe drought is located in the same area, expanding to Clarke, Wilcox, Dallas, Perry, Sumter and Bibb counties. Severe drought is also observed to the east, in counties like Lowndes, Crenshaw, Montgomery, Bullock, Macon, Russell and Lee.
Moderate drought encompasses most of the state.