Some drought relief for Florida after late May rains.
The last week of May has brought above normal precipitation to many areas of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
By May 27th, the storm responsible for these much needed rains had doubled the amount of precipitation normally expected in the region this time of year.
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Find out with The Weather Network’s 2017 Summer Forecast | FORECAST & MAPS HERE Today, there are no signs of exceptional drought in the region, and the D3-D4 category, signifying extreme drought, has been reduced from 4.34 per cent to 2.96 per cent.
Areas affected by severe drought have also been reduced in extension from 11.91 per cent to 11.1 per cent.
It’s not a huge reduction, but residents in the area will take anything they can get to cut back on drought, especially as the hot summer months get closer, and fire risk increases.
The most affected areas by this prolonged drought are now confined to southern Georgia and central Florida, where severe drought conditions persist across a good number of counties.
On the other hand, the greatest drought improvement in Florida has been seen in the Panhandle and other areas of the north.
Despite the slight improvement seen this past week, this persistent drought that has been escalating since February could mean major crop and pasture losses, water restrictions and a high risk for summer wildfires to occur across large portions of Florida.