The current El Niño weather pattern has certainly impacted the drought conditions that were present across the Southeast. According to Thursday’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, only a few areas in the region are abnormally dry.
El Niño usually brings cooler temperatures and rainy weather to the Southeast during the winter which has been the case this year. It has almost totally erased the drought the region experienced in the fall.
A portion of Alabama’s northwest counties of Colbert, Lauderdale and Limestone are abnormally dry, as are Jackson and Dekalb in the northeast corner of the state. A small part of Mobile County in South Alabama is abnormally dry as well. The rest of the state has sufficient moisture.
Only a small part of Georgia’s northwest counties is abnormally dry. These include Dade, Walker, Catoosa and Whitfield. The rest of Georgia has sufficient moisture.
Only a small part of the western region of Florida is abnormally dry. These include parts of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties.