Drought Monitor Update: Moderate Conditions Observed in Southeast Region

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.

Intense heat and lack of rainfall have contributed to moderate dry conditions expanding across the Southeast, including in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Northeast Florida is mostly moderately dry. The dry area starts as far west as Jefferson and Madison counties and expands eastward to Duval, Saint Johns and Flagler counties and southward to Marion and Citrus counties. Parts of Osceola, Brevard and Indian River counties in southern Florida are moderately dry as well.

Southeast Georgia is mostly moderate dry. It starts as far west as Grady, Mitchell and Thomas counties and stretches northeastward to Jeff Davis, Appling, Wayne and Long counties. Central and northern Georgia are either abnormally dry, moderately dry or severely dry. Severe conditions are concentrated in Bleckley, Houston, Twiggs, Bibb, Jones, Baldwin and Wilkinson counties in central Georgia. Fulton, Douglas, Paulding and Cobb counties in Northwest Georgia are severely dry as well.

All of central and northern Alabama are either abnormally dry or moderately dry. Moderate conditions are seen in Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison and Jackson counties and stretch southward along the Alabama-Georgia state line to Randolph and Chambers counties. Parts of Perry, Dallas, Antauga, Chilton, Coosa, Talladega, Shelby and Bibb counties in central Alabama are moderately dry as well. Dale and Henry counties in Southeast Alabama are moderately dry as well.