Moderate to severe drought continues despite rainy week

Drought conditions worsening across Southeast Georgia into mid June

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite a series of heavy rains over the past week, the U.S. Drought Monitors (USDM) weekly report, released Thursday, indicates that many parts of Northeast Florida are still in a moderate drought.

Currently, 9% of the Sunshine State is in a moderate drought. Impacted cities include Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

During a moderate drought, you can reasonably expect damage to certain crops and pastures along with water shortages in affected areas. 

Ample rainfall in the Big Bend region aided in the drought recovery in the area near and around Gainesville -- most of central and western Northeast Florida is now back in the abnormally dry category, a step below moderate.

Meanwhile, severe drought conditions have spread across Southeast Georgia, affecting portions of Clinch, Ware, Bacon, Pierce, Coffee and Atkinson counties. Severe droughts are known to kill crops and pastures and create water shortages in effected area. 

While the weekend brings drier air into the First Coast, abundant moisture returns to the region as the workweek begins which will give us another chance for higher rainfall amounts through the majority of next week.

The USDM is a map that shows the location and intensity of drought across the country. The data is updated each Tuesday and released on Thursday. The current map (above) shows the drought conditions on June 13, 2019.