Drought Information Statement for South Florida 9 03 2026 Issued By: NWS Miami-South Florida Contact Information: nws.miami@noaa.gov Drought Conditions Remain Present Across The Region Please see all available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Visit our local interactive drought page at https://nws-miami-drought-page-noaa.hub.arcgis.com/ Webmaster email or public phone line likely preferred, but individuals may choose to include their contact information directly. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor U.S. Drought Monitor for South Florida U.S. Drought Monitor valid 8AM EDT September 3rd 2026. Drought conditions Improved over the Everglades. Drought intensity and Extent D0 (Abnormally Dry): Western Glades,Western Hendry, and Northern Collier Counties D1 (Moderate Drought): Metro Palm Beach , Metro Collier, & NE Broward Counties. D2 (Severe Drought): Most of Broward and all of Miami-Dade Counties along with Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades regions. Geography Availability: United States WFO: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/png/current/current_wfoabq_text.png Where it says “wfoabq” change the last 3 letters to the desired CWA in terms of “wfoxxx” (excluding SJU, PPG, or GUM, only regional data available) State: Replace where it says “wfoabq” change to the state’s abbreviation Regional: Replace where it says “wfoabq” change to either of the following… Caribbean → current_caribbean_text Pacific Islands→current_usapi_text Ex; southeast → current_southeast_text Ex; midwest → current_midwest_text Ex; high plains → current_high_planes_text Ex; south → current_south_text pdf National (including HI, AK, and PR): https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/png/20220823/20220823_usdm.png USAPI and Virgin Islands: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/png/20220823/20220823_usdm_pg2.png Recent Change in Drought Intensity 4-week change map for South Florida One Week Drought Monitor Class Change The drought severity has improved by one category over the Everglades areas and parts of Glades and Hendry Counties. Rest of South Florida remain unchanged in drought conditions from last week. However, if drier weather pattern returns, this could lead to worsting the drought conditions over South Florida. Feel free to use other timescales if they tell a better story, or hide this slide if there’s no notable changes in your region. 4 weeks is a good default if you’re producing this product ~once per month as required by the directive. 1-Week Monitor Class Change (replace CHS with your WFO ID): https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/chng/png/current/current_wfoCHS_chng_1W.png Comparison of current drought monitor with drought monitor from 4 weeks ago for a desired WFO station: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/chng/png/current/current_wfoCHS_chng_4W.png Changing date: Replace where it says “current” twice with the date in terms of “YYYYMMDD” Ex; July 5th, 2022 → 20220705 30 Day Precipitation & Percent of Normal Rainfall has varied drastically across the region due to sporadic thunderstorm coverage with pockets of below average precipitation as well as areas with slightly above average precipitation. If longer-term drought is dominating in your region, you can use longer-timescale imagery to support that message. All data can be found at https://hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?maps=ACISClimateMaps If you prefer a higher resolution precip source such as AHPS (https://water.weather.gov/precip/), that’s also okay but will have to be added manually each time. If little to no imagery is available for your area (i.e. USAPI) you may consider a data table. Some USAPI precipitation imagery available here:https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/drought/202303#regional-usapi and here: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update Pacific Island Climate Update for ENSO: Monthly Reports, find the PDF on this site: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update and consider linking to it here if it’s not too out of date MSWEP: https://www.gloh2o.org/mswep/ may be another option. Other options: Precipitation Station Data from USGS: Stations in each State: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/current/?type=precip&group_key=NONE To change state, alter link where it says “/al/” and change to desired state’s abbreviation. Homepage: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis Precipitation Reports for Basins from WCC Availability: SNOTEL and COOP stations for each state in the west including Alaska. State: https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/water/SummaryReports/AZ/BPrecip_8_2022.pdf Where it says “AZ” change to desired state abbreviation to other states such as AK, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. Replace where it says “Precip_8_2022” and change the “8” to the desired month of year and “2022” to the year wanted. Homepage: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/snowClimateMonitoring/snowpack/basinDataReports/ 90 Day Observed Precipitation (Since 12/12/2025) If longer-term drought is dominating in your region, you can use longer-timescale imagery to support that message. All data can be found at https://hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?maps=ACISClimateMaps If you prefer a higher resolution precip source such as AHPS (https://water.weather.gov/precip/), that’s also okay but will have to be added manually each time. If little to no imagery is available for your area (i.e. USAPI) you may consider a data table. Some USAPI precipitation imagery available here:https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/drought/202303#regional-usapi and here: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update Pacific Island Climate Update for ENSO: Monthly Reports, find the PDF on this site: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update and consider linking to it here if it’s not too out of date MSWEP: https://www.gloh2o.org/mswep/ may be another option. Other options: Precipitation Station Data from USGS: Stations in each State: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/current/?type=precip&group_key=NONE To change state, alter link where it says “/al/” and change to desired state’s abbreviation. Homepage: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis Precipitation Reports for Basins from WCC Availability: SNOTEL and COOP stations for each state in the west including Alaska. State: https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/water/SummaryReports/AZ/BPrecip_8_2022.pdf Where it says “AZ” change to desired state abbreviation to other states such as AK, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. Replace where it says “Precip_8_2022” and change the “8” to the desired month of year and “2022” to the year wanted. Homepage: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/snowClimateMonitoring/snowpack/basinDataReports/ Rainfall observed with the departure and percent of normal since May 1st, 2026 The following table gives the rainfall from May 1, 2026 to September 2nd, 2026: Observed Dep fm Percent Airports: Rainfall Normal of Normal Donald J. Trump International Intl. 20.84 -7.45 74% (33rd driest wet season so far) Naples Municipal 22.12 -5.35 81% (6th driest wet season so far) Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Intl 16.80 -12.15 58% (5th driest wet season so far) Miami Intl 20.85 -13.62 60% (14th driest wet season so far) Secondary Observation Sites Moore Haven (Glades) 19.35 -8.84 67% (10th driest wst season so far) Opa Locka (Miami-Dade) 28.43 -3.64 89% (12th driest wet season so far) Homestead (Miami-Dade) 27.62 -5.75 83% (7th driest wet season so far) Hialeah (Miami-Dade) 29.44 -7.20 80% (28th driest wet season so far) Palm Beach Gardens (Palm Beach) 17.30 14.69 54% (Driest wet season so far) Miami Beach 21.74 -5.32 80% Devils Garden (Hendry) 23.93 -7.60 76% (12th driest wet season so far) Rainfall Totals, Percent of Normal and Departures (Since 05/01/2026) Image Captions: Data Courtesy South Florida Water Management from May 15th through September 2nd, 2026 Wet Season 2026 Rainfall Totals, Percent of Normal and Departures (Since 05/15/2026) Image Captions: Data Courtesy South Florida Water Management from May 15th through August 5th, 2026 Wet Season Image Captions: Data Courtesy South Florida Water Management 2002-2025 Climatology Rainfall Totals, Percent of Normal and Departures (60 & 90 Days) Image Captions: Data Courtesy South Florida Water Management Past 60 Days (Since 7/5/2026) Past 90 Days (Since 6/5/2026) If longer-term drought is dominating in your region, you can use longer-timescale imagery to support that message. All data can be found at https://hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?maps=ACISClimateMaps If you prefer a higher resolution precip source such as AHPS (https://water.weather.gov/precip/), that’s also okay but will have to be added manually each time. If little to no imagery is available for your area (i.e. USAPI) you may consider a data table. Some USAPI precipitation imagery available here:https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/drought/202303#regional-usapi and here: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update Pacific Island Climate Update for ENSO: Monthly Reports, find the PDF on this site: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update and consider linking to it here if it’s not too out of date MSWEP: https://www.gloh2o.org/mswep/ may be another option. Other options: Precipitation Station Data from USGS: Stations in each State: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/current/?type=precip&group_key=NONE To change state, alter link where it says “/al/” and change to desired state’s abbreviation. Homepage: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis Precipitation Reports for Basins from WCC Availability: SNOTEL and COOP stations for each state in the west including Alaska. State: https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/water/SummaryReports/AZ/BPrecip_8_2022.pdf Where it says “AZ” change to desired state abbreviation to other states such as AK, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. Replace where it says “Precip_8_2022” and change the “8” to the desired month of year and “2022” to the year wanted. Homepage: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/snowClimateMonitoring/snowpack/basinDataReports/ 180 Day Precipitation & Percent of Normal (Since 2/28/2026) Rainfall observed with the departure and percent of normal since November 1st, 2025 The following table gives the rainfall from November 1, 2025 to September 2nd, 2026: Observed Dep fm Percent Airports: Rainfall Normal of Normal Donald J. Trump International Intl. 37.36 -11.10 77% Naples Municipal 29.48 -8.18 78% Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Intl 32.86 -13.24 71% Miami Intl 32,76 -17.98 65% Secondary Observation Sites Moore Haven (Glades) 27.01 -13.50 67% Opa Locka (Miami-Dade) 37.63 -9.42 80% Homestead (Miami-Dade) 38.47 -7.89 83% Hialeah (Miami-Dade) 43.45 -10.93 80% Palm Beach Gardens (Palm Beach) 28.05 -24.51 53% Devils Garden (Hendry) 31.51 -12.88 71% Image Captions: Data Courtesy South Florida Water Management Data over the past 180 days ending September 2nd,, 2026 If longer-term drought is dominating in your region, you can use longer-timescale imagery to support that message. All data can be found at https://hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?maps=ACISClimateMaps If you prefer a higher resolution precip source such as AHPS (https://water.weather.gov/precip/), that’s also okay but will have to be added manually each time. If little to no imagery is available for your area (i.e. USAPI) you may consider a data table. Some USAPI precipitation imagery available here:https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/drought/202303#regional-usapi and here: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update Pacific Island Climate Update for ENSO: Monthly Reports, find the PDF on this site: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update and consider linking to it here if it’s not too out of date MSWEP: https://www.gloh2o.org/mswep/ may be another option. Other options: Precipitation Station Data from USGS: Stations in each State: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/current/?type=precip&group_key=NONE To change state, alter link where it says “/al/” and change to desired state’s abbreviation. Homepage: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis Precipitation Reports for Basins from WCC Availability: SNOTEL and COOP stations for each state in the west including Alaska. State: https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/water/SummaryReports/AZ/BPrecip_8_2022.pdf Where it says “AZ” change to desired state abbreviation to other states such as AK, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. Replace where it says “Precip_8_2022” and change the “8” to the desired month of year and “2022” to the year wanted. Homepage: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/snowClimateMonitoring/snowpack/basinDataReports/ 30-Day Precipitation & Percent Normal The majority of South Florida has received less than 25-50% of normal precipitation over the last 30 days. Image Captions: Left - Precipitation Amount for [area] Right - Percent of Normal Precipitation for [area] If longer-term drought is dominating in your region, you can use longer-timescale imagery to support that message. All data can be found at https://hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?maps=ACISClimateMaps If you prefer a higher resolution precip source such as AHPS (https://water.weather.gov/precip/), that’s also okay but will have to be added manually each time. If little to no imagery is available for your area (i.e. USAPI) you may consider a data table. Some USAPI precipitation imagery available here:https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/drought/202303#regional-usapi and here: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update Pacific Island Climate Update for ENSO: Monthly Reports, find the PDF on this site: https://niwa.co.nz/climate/island-climate-update and consider linking to it here if it’s not too out of date MSWEP: https://www.gloh2o.org/mswep/ may be another option. Other options: Precipitation Station Data from USGS: Stations in each State: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/current/?type=precip&group_key=NONE To change state, alter link where it says “/al/” and change to desired state’s abbreviation. Homepage: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis Precipitation Reports for Basins from WCC Availability: SNOTEL and COOP stations for each state in the west including Alaska. State: https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/water/SummaryReports/AZ/BPrecip_8_2022.pdf Where it says “AZ” change to desired state abbreviation to other states such as AK, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. Replace where it says “Precip_8_2022” and change the “8” to the desired month of year and “2022” to the year wanted. Homepage: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/snowClimateMonitoring/snowpack/basinDataReports/ Hydrologic Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts (9/03/26) Lake Okeechobee water level is currently at 10.99 feet which is –3.26 feet below normal of 14.25 feet. The underground level for Water Conservation Area 1 in Interior Palm Beach County is at 16.34 feet. Compared to the normal value of 17.01 feet, this is -0.67 feet below normal for this time of year. The underground level for Water Conservation Area 2 in Interior Broward County is at 12.17 feet. Compared to the normal value of 12.39 feet, this is -0.22 feet below normal for this time of year. The underground level for Water Conservation Area 3 in Interior Miami-Dade County is at 8.95 feet. Compared to the normal value of 10.11 feet, this is -1.16 feet below normal for this time of year. Hydrologic Impacts on Lake Okeechobee Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Locks that are closed due to low Lake Okeechobee water levels include: S-135 Boat Lock J&S Fish Camp in Martin County G-36 Boat Lock on Hendry Creek in Okeechobee County S-127 Boat Lock at Buckhead Ridge in Glades County S-131 Boat Lock in Lakeport in Glades County S-193 Boat Lock at Taylor Creek in Okeechobee County. Courtesy of SFWMD Fire Hazard Impacts Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) Fire Hazard Impacts Fire risk has decreased over most of South Florida compare to last week. KBDI values for the eastern areas are in the 200 to 300. KBDI Values for the western areas are below 200, except for Mainland Monroe County where it is 300 to 400. Fire Danger Matrix Fire Danger Risk Fire Danger Matrix A Low fire (level 1 of 5) danger risk across all of South Florida as of 9/03/2026. Burn Bans Link: County Burn Bans Current Burn Bans No burns are currently in effect for South Florida. Water Shortage Warnings Link: South Florida Water Management District Water Shortage Page Water Shortage Warnings Collier County Issued by the South Florida Water Management District. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Summarize conditions/impacts here Image Caption: USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC map valid MM DD YYYY South Florida soil moistures have increased over the eastern areas of South Florida. Western areas of South Florida is in the 10 to 20 percentile range. The eastern interior areas of South Florida is in the 20 to 30 percentile range. The east coast metro areas is in the 30 to 70 percentile range. Soil Moisture Image Captions: CPC Calculated Soil Moisture Ranking Percentile valid September 2nd, 2026 Fire Hazard Impacts Image Caption: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive-services/outlooks for August 2026 Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center. The threat of above average significant wildfire fire potential is forecast to remain across South Florida for the remainder of August. Latest FL burnmap at https://ffsfm.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/1f6572c92f8d41ec860f461ea433819b 6-10 Day Climate Prediction Center Precipitation Outlook Precipitation Outlook A weak front will stall over Northern Florida this weekend leading to a south southwest steering flow over South Florida. This pattern will allow for scattered to numerous showers and storms this weekend with the highest coverage over the interior and east coast metro areas. The Climate Prediction Center predicts an equal chance of above or below normal rainfall for our area over the next 6-10 days. {{PRECIP_OUTLOOK}} The Climate Prediction Center is leaning to an above normal rainfall (40 to 50 percent) for our area for September 2026. Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Monthly Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Monthly Precipitation Outlook. Valid MM YYYY Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Precipitation Outlook. Valid MM to MM YYYY Monthly Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The Climate Prediction Center depicts an equal chance of above or below normal for precipitation for our area for the months of September through November 2026. Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Monthly Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Monthly Precipitation Outlook. Valid MM YYYY Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Precipitation Outlook. Valid MM to MM YYYY Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought has persisted for the duration of the wet season with oscillations in severity. The latest seasonal outlook continues to forecast drought removal across portions of the region with persistence likely elsewhere. Widespread heavy rainfall over a sustained duration will be needed to fully alleviate the drought across the region. Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook {{OUTLOOK_DROUGHT_SEASONAL}}