ORLANDO, Fla. – As of Thursday, Feb. 26, new drought numbers show that ALL of Florida is now officially under drought.
It is no surprise that conditions have worsened, given the lack of rain over the past week and the persistently abnormally dry air settling over much of the state.
Look at the comparison from last week’s update below. You can see the small area remaining “abnormally dry” over northern Brevard County has now shifted into a moderate drought.
LAST WEEK’S DROUGHT MAP BELOW:
While the entire state is now experiencing drought, the areas of severe and extreme drought did not expand, which offers at least a small bit of relief.
These are the worst drought conditions this early in the year since 2001, meaning soils, rivers, and reservoirs remain exceptionally low.
These conditions are exactly why burn bans are in place across Central Florida. Click here to see which counties are under official burn bans.
With fire risk extremely high, officials are urging everyone to be careful outdoors, avoid open flames, and follow all local restrictions to prevent dangerous and potentially destructive fires.