By Clint Thompson
Drought-like conditions continue to decrease across the Southeast, according to the July 23 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Florida
In Florida, extreme conditions still persist in the northern part of the state, though the western counties in the Florida Panhandle, including Escambia, Santa Rose, Okaloosa, Walton and Holmes, have sufficient moisture. Extreme conditions have been reduced to all or parts of Lafayette, Suwanee, Columbia, Union, Bradford, Clay, Putnam, Alachua, Gilchrist, Levy and Dixie counties.
Extreme conditions are still seen along the west coast in Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Hardee, Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Highlands counties. They are also present in southern Florida in parts of Hendry, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Severe and moderate drought encompass most of the remaining areas in Florida.
Georgia
Georgia’s driest areas remain in the southern and northern parts of the state. Moderate drought in South Georgia start in the southern areas of Grady and Thomas counties; stretching eastward to Camden, Glynn and McIntosh counties; and northward to Appling, Tattnall and Long counties. Severe drought is observed along the east coast in Chatham, Effingham and Screven counties. Abnormally dry conditions extend into the central part of the state as far as Schley, Macon, Laurens, Johnson and Emanuel counties.
There are no dry areas in most of central Georgia.
Severe drought is observed in the northern part of the state in all or parts of Murray, Fannin, Union, Lumpkin, Dawson, Hall, White, Habersham, Towns and Rabun counties.
Alabama
Most of Alabama has sufficient moisture, despite patches of drought existing throughout the state. Moderate drought exists in Northwest Alabama in Colbert, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties. Abnormally dry conditions are observed in Northeast Alabama in all or parts of Jackson, Dekalb, Etowah and Cherokee counties; and also along the Alabama-Georgia state line in parts of Cleburne and Randolph counties.
Other areas with abnormally dry conditions are located in Southeast Alabama in the eastern parts of Houston and Henry counties; and in the southwest part of the state in parts of Mobile and Baldwin counties.