Drought Information Statement for South Florida 9 17 2026 Issued By: NWS Miami-South Florida Contact Information: nws.miami@noaa.gov Gradual Improvement In Drought Across South Florida 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 17th 2026. Daily scattered to numerous shower and thunderstorm activity has brought beneficial rainfall to large portions of South Florida. Drought continues to generally improve across South Florida over time. Drought intensity and Extent D0 (Abnormally Dry): Western Glades,Western Hendry, and Northern Collier Counties D1 (Moderate Drought): Most of Palm Beach, Broward, and Collier Counties. Metro areas of Miami-Dade County. D2 (Severe Drought): Most of the Everglades of Miami-Dade County into Mainland Monroe County. 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 and 1-week change map for South Florida One Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought has improved slightly (+1) across southern portion of the Everglades. Drought had degraded slightly (-1) across the western portion of Lake Okeechobee region. Coverage and placement of showers and thunderstorms over roughly the next month (conclusion of wet season is officially October 15th) will dictate drought improvement or degradation across portions of 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 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, 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 1st, 2026 to September 16th, 2026: Observed Dep fm Percent Airports: Rainfall Normal of Normal Donald J. Trump International Intl. 25.67 -6.51 80% Naples Municipal 27.28 -4.45 88% (8th driest wet season so far) Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Intl 27.33 -5.41 85% (30th driest wet season so far) Miami Intl 23.98 -15.28 61% (19th driest wet season so far) Secondary Observation Sites Moore Haven (Glades) 23.25 -7.90 75% (13th driest wst season so far) Opa Locka (Miami-Dade) 28.45 -7.76 79% (8th driest wet season so far) Homestead (Miami-Dade) 32.92 -4.59 88% (9th driest wet season so far) Hialeah (Miami-Dade) 36.22 -5.99 85% Miami Beach 27.01 -3.96 87% Devils Garden (Hendry) 28.09 -6.78 80% (11th 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 16th, 2026 Wet Season 2026 Rainfall Totals, Percent of Normal and Departures (Since 05/01/2026) Image Caption: Data Courtesy South Florida Water Management from May 15th through September 17th, 2026 Wet Season 2026 Image Captions: Data Courtesy South Florida Water Management 2002-2025 Wet Season Rainfall Mean 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 7/19/2026) Past 90 Days (Since 6/19/2026) 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 16th, 2026: Observed Dep fm Percent Airports: Rainfall Normal of Normal Donald J. Trump International Intl. 42.19 -10.18 80% Naples Municipal 34.64 -7.28 83% Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Intl 43.39 -6.50 87% Miami Intl 35.89 -19.14 65% Secondary Observation Sites Moore Haven (Glades) 30.91 -12.56 71% Opa Locka (Miami-Dade) 37.65 -13.54 74% Homestead (Miami-Dade) 43.77 -6.73 87% Hialeah (Miami-Dade) 50.21 -9.74 84% Devils Garden (Hendry) 35.02 -12.71 73% 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 (9/17/26) Lake Okeechobee water level is currently at 11.40 feet which is –3.17 feet below the normal value of 14.57 feet. The underground level for Water Conservation Area 1 in Interior Palm Beach County is at 16.91 feet. Compared to the normal value of 17.32 feet, this is -0.41 feet below normal for this time of year. The underground level for Water Conservation Area 2 in Interior Broward County is at 13.48 feet. Compared to the normal value of 12.70 feet, this is 0.78 feet above normal for this time of year. The underground level for Water Conservation Area 3 in Interior Miami-Dade County is at 9.08 feet. Compared to the normal value of 10.20 feet, this is -1.12 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 Courtesy of SFWMD Fire Hazard Impacts Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) Fire Hazard Impacts KBDI values for all of South Florida remain in the 0-199 range. Vegetation currently remains thoroughly saturated thanks to recent rainfall. Fire Danger Matrix Fire Danger Risk Fire Danger Matrix A Low fire (level 1 of 5) danger risk continues for South Florida. 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 Soil moisture values have improved across all of South Florida since last week. Soil moisture values are now in the 70th-99th percentile after recent rainfall. Soil Moisture Image Captions: CPC Calculated Soil Moisture Ranking Percentile valid September 16th, 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 An upper level low is forecast to move across Southern Central Florida early this weekend before moving into the Eastern Gulf late this weekend into early next week. This pattern will allow for scattered to numerous showers and storms over the next several days with the highest coverage over eastern areas. The Climate Prediction Center forecasting “Leaning above normal rainfall” (40 to 50 percent) for our area over the next 6-10 days. {{PRECIP_OUTLOOK}} The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting “an equal chance of above or below normal rainfall” for South Florida for October. 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 is forecasting “Leaning above normal rainfall” (33 to 50 percent) for precipitation for our area for the months of October through December 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 over most of South Florida, except for the Everglades where drought could continue. Continued heavy rainfall 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}}