Recent rains have helped alleviate some dry areas in the Southeast, according to the Aug. 28 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor.
It is especially evident in Georgia. Minimal abnormally dry conditions are observed in the southwest corner of the state, including Seminole, Decatur, Grady, Thomas, Brooks, Miller, Baker and Mitchell counties. A small area in Northwest Georgia is abnormally dry as well, including Paulding, Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee and Pickens counties.
Florida’s driest area remains mostly in the southern area of the state. Extreme drought continues in the eastern areas of Broward and Palm Beach counties. Severe drought is observed in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Abnormal drought is seen in Monroe, Collier, Palm Beach, Martin, Saint Lucie, Indian River and Brevard counties.
Abnormally dry conditions are also seen a little further north in DeSoto, Hardee, Polk and Lake counties. Most of the Florida Panhandle has sufficient moisture.
Southwest Alabama is experiencing abnormally dry and moderately dry conditions. The dry areas start in the northern areas of Mobile and Baldwin counties and extend as far north as Hale, Perry and Chilton counties and eastward to Escambia and Conecuh counties.
Abnormally dry conditions are also seen in a small area in northern Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Jefferson and Walker counties; and also in North Alabama in Franklin, Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan and Madison counties.