TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV Eyewitness News) – The drought in the Deep South seems to be slowly inching into the Florida panhandle, according to the latest information from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Abnormally dry conditions are in place over portions of Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin, and Gulf counties. Moderate drought conditions exist for most locations to the west – including Panama City and Fort Walton Beach.
#Drought worsening in SE; all of AL, much of GA affected https://t.co/QjjWVnZKFr @SERCC https://t.co/5NCueg6azx pic.twitter.com/437z7JOnQQ
— NIDIS (@DroughtGov) October 20, 2016
Drought conditions are much worse across the Southeast U.S. – including Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. There have been wildfires in Alabama, and dropping water levels in Georgia. Many locations in the South are under water restrictions and burn bans.
For us, the lack of significant rainfall since Hurricane Hermine has kept conditions fairly dry for our area. Rainfall totals in Tallahassee since Sept. 1 are slightly above normal (0.38 inches above average) with Apalachicola running a deficit of over an inch. So far this October, most of our area is between two to three inches below normal. With long-range forecasters expecting a better likelihood of drier conditions over the next three months, things could worsen for the Big Bend and South Georgia.
There is a chance we could be either in weak La Niña or neutral conditions this fall and winter. Weak La Niña events tend to keep the southern U.S. in a dry pattern, which doesn’t spell good news for those in the South that need rain.
