Drought Information Statement for southeast Mississippi, southwest Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle Valid: February 13, 2026 This product will be updated March 12, 2026 (or sooner) if drought conditions change significantly All currently available products: drought.gov/drought-information-statements (https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements) Previous local statements: weather.gov/mob/DroughtInformationStatement (https://www.weather.gov/mob/DroughtInformationStatement) Regional Drought Status Updates: https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates (https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates) DROUGHT WORSENS OVER SOUTHWEST AL/NORTHWEST FL Extreme drought develops over portions of interior southwest Alabama. Severe drought expands over a larger portion of southwest Alabama into portions of the northwest Florida Panhandle. U.S. Drought Monitor Latest U.S. Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/png/current/current_huc03_trd.png) for the Southeast US and central Gulf Coast Drought Intensity and Extent: D3 (Extreme Drought): Within an area from Monroeville to Brewton to Georgiana Alabama. D2 (Severe Drought): Along and east of a line from Pineapple to Claiborne to Atmore Alabama to Milton to Ft. Walton Beach Florida. Central Greene County Mississippi. D1 (Moderate Drought): Much of Choctaw County in Alabama. Southeast of a line from Camden Alabama to McLain Mississippi including the remainder of southwest Alabama and the northwest Florida Panhandle. D0: (Abnormally Dry): The remainder of the local area. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Latest 1-week change map (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/chng/png/current/current_huc03_chng_1W.png) for the Southeast US and central Gulf Coast One Week Drought Monitor Class Change: Drought Worsened: Interior portions of southwest Alabama, generally east of I-65. Central portions of the northwest Florida Panhandle. No Change: The remainder of the local area. Precipitation Summary of conditions and impacts: Over the past month, areal rainfall has been lacking to the point where large swaths of the local area have seen deficits of 25 to 50% of normal rainfall for the 30-Day period. Summary of Impacts See Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) (https://droughtimpacts.unl.edu/Tools/ConditionMonitoringObservations.aspx) and Drought Impacts Reporter (https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/46afe627bb60422f85944d70069c09cf) Hydrologic Impacts The US Geological Survey (USGS) indicates stages on nearly all local river and/or stream points are at much below normal levels to low. Rivers and streams that are experiencing low water levels, will likely result in what is typically deeply submerged objects being likely closer to the water’s surface or in some cases completely exposed, presenting a greatly increased waterway hazard for safe recreational boating and commercial navigation. Agricultural Impacts Crop condition in the driest of areas is very poor. Crop disease and insect damage elevated. Supplemental feeding is required to maintain livestock condition. Hardness of ground increases difficulty of plowing, resulting in a higher frequency of plow blades becoming dull adding to the expense for change outs. Fire Hazard Impacts In the event of strong cold frontal passages, periods of critically low daytime humidity in combination with gusty northerly winds will bring periods of increased wildfire potential. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged until conditions improve. Know the law before you burn. Mitigation Actions Water conservation techniques are strongly encouraged in drought areas. Please refer to your municipality and/or your water provider for mitigation information. Local water restriction ordinances may be in place. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Summary of conditions and impacts: Stages on nearly all local river and/or stream points are at much below normal levels or Low. Rivers and streams that are experiencing low water levels will likely result in what is typically deeply submerged objects being likely closer to the water’s surface or in some cases completely exposed. Waterway hazards are increased for safe recreational boating and commercial navigation. To view the most current stages and flow for each state’s, stream and river points, please visit: MS: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ms&m=real (https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ms&m=real) AL: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=al&m=real (https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ms&m=real) FL: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=fl&m=real (https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ms&m=real) Agricultural Impacts Summary of conditions and impacts: Soil conditions very dry leading to poor crop health, elevated risk of disease, and insect damage. Supplemental feeding required to maintain livestock. Hardness of ground increases difficulty of plowing, resulting in a higher frequency of plow blades becoming dull adding to the expense for change outs. It is recommended that farmers reach out to local USDA office for details on available funding assistance. Fire Hazard Impacts Summary of conditions and impacts: The outlook heading into March suggests that the Mid-Atlantic, southeast, and westward across the Lower Mississippi River Valley will be above normal for significant wildland fire potential. It’s important to note that in the event of strong cold frontal passages, periods of critically low daytime humidity in combination with gusty northerly winds will bring periods of increased wildfire potential. Know the law before burning. Latest Burn Bans and/or Advisories By State: Mississippi: https://www.mfc.ms.gov/ (https://www.mfc.ms.gov/) Alabama: https://forestry.alabama.gov/ (https://forestry.alabama.gov/) Florida: https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Wildland-Fire (https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Wildland-Fire) Wildfire Potential Outlooks (https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive-services/outlooks) from the National Interagency Coordination Center 7-Day Precipitation Forecast Summary of conditions and impacts: Rainfall the next 7 days ranges one to two inches. Locally higher rainfall amounts are possible. Anticipated rainfall is expected to do little to change local drought intensity. Long-Range Outlooks Summary of conditions and impacts: Looking ahead, the outlook for needed rainfall to alleviate drought conditions remains slim at best. Below normal precipitation is favored over the deep south through April 2026. Latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC (https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/) webpage Drought Outlook Latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC (https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/) webpage Summary of conditions and impacts: Drought conditions look to persist the next three months over much of the local area.