Dry Areas Decreasing Across Southeast

Clint ThompsonDrought

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.

By Clint Thompson

The extensive dry conditions that were prevalent across areas of the Southeast for months have mostly dissipated thanks to the current El Niño weather pattern. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, areas across North Alabama are mostly abnormally dry, as are some counties in North Georgia, while a small portion of western Florida is dry as well.

Alabama’s abnormally dry conditions start in the upper left corner of the state in Lauderdale County and stretches eastward to Jackson and Dekalb counties and as far south as Blount and Saint Clair counties. Monroe County in southern Alabama is also abnormally dry.

Georgia’s abnormally dry conditions start in the northwest corner of the state in Dade and Walker counties and stretches eastward to Union and Towns counties. The rest of Georgia has sufficient moisture.

Florida’s only dry area is located along the southwest coast, starting as far north as Pasco County and stretching southward to Sarasota County, which has moderately dry conditions. Parts of Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties are also moderately dry.