Drought Information Statement for southeast Mississippi, southwest Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle Valid: April 23, 2026 This product will be updated May 21, 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) EXTREME DROUGHT EXPANDS WESTWARD OVER THE INTERIOR Over 60% of the local area now in the grip of extreme drought. Wildifire risk remains significant. 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): Expands west and covers an area east of a line from Camden to Coffeeville to Jackson Alabama to Neely Mississippi to Citronelle to Stockton Alabama to Pensacola Florida. D2 (Severe Drought): Much of the remainder of the local area. D1 (Moderate Drought): A small area of interior southeast Mississippi from south of Clara to New Augusta. 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: West of I-65 and the Northwest Florida Panhandle. No Change: The remainder of the local area. Precipitation Summary of conditions and impacts: Over the past month, Nearly all of the local area has seen significant rainfall deficits to 25% or less of normal for the 30-Day period. Temperature Summary of conditions and impacts: Due to the dryness, temperatures have been some 3 to 8° above normal on average over the past 30-Days. 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 river and/or stream points are much below normal and in many cases at record low stages over the local area. 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 many cases completely exposed. This presents increased waterway hazards for safe recreational boating and commercial navigation. In many cases, waterways will be unnavigable due to low or record low stages. 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. Many counties declared natural disaster areas due to persistent high intensity drought. Fire Hazard Impacts Wildland fire potential remains significant. Know the law before you burn. Anyone who burns a field, grassland, or woodland without a burn permit may be subject to significant fines or prosecution for committing a Class B misdemeanor. 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: Local waterway flows are at much below normal levels and in many cases at record low flows. 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 waterway hazard for safe recreational boating and commercial navigation. In many cases, waterways will be unnavigable due to low or record low stages. Most current stages and flow for each state’s stream and river points: Mississippi (https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ms&m=real) and Alabama (https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ms&m=real) and Florida (https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ms&m=real) Agricultural Impacts Summary of conditions and impacts: As of April 23rd, soils are moisture starved and ranking in the very low 1 percentile or less over much of the southeast U.S. and Deep South. This leads to very poor crop health, elevated risk of disease, and insect damage. Supplemental feeding required to maintain livestock. The USDA has declared 30 counties in the state of Alabama as natural disaster areas. Declared counties are eligible for emergency funding assistance. 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: From mid March to mid April, nearly 400 wildfires have burned over 15,000 acres of forestland across the state of Alabama. The outlook for the remainder of April suggests that the Mid-Atlantic, southeast, and westward across the Lower Mississippi River Valley remains at above normal potential for significant wildland fire potential. Know the law before burning. Anyone who burns a field, grassland, or woodland without a burn permit may be subject to significant fines or prosecution for committing a Class B misdemeanor. Wildfire Potential Outlooks (https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive-services/outlooks) from the National Interagency Coordination Center Latest Burn Bans and/or Advisories By State: Mississippi (http://mfc.ms.gov) and Alabama (http://forestry.alabama.gov) and Florida (http://fdacs.gov/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service) 7-Day Precipitation Forecast Summary of conditions and impacts: The weather pattern appears to transition, favoring a better chance of much needed rainfall as we close out the month of April. Appears the focus of the better rainfall amounts over the local area through April 30th will be along and north of the I-10 corridor where some 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected through the period. Despite these rains, amounts will do little to alleviate drought conditions. Long-Range Outlooks Summary of conditions and impacts: Looking ahead, the outlook for needed rainfall to alleviate drought conditions remains very slim through the end of May. As we move into the early half of the summer, there are indications that rainfall may begin to lean above normal for portions of the area. 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 into the first half of the summer along and north of U.S. Hwy 84. South of the Hwy 84 corridor, drought may begin to loosen its grip some. Latest Climate Prediction Center Drought Outlooks: Monthly Outlook (https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/mdo_summary.php) and Seasonal Outlook (https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/sdo_summary.php)