Drought Information Statement for southeast Mississippi, southwest Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle Valid: May 21, 2026 This product will be updated June 18, 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 SHRINKS OVER THE INTERIOR Recent, beneficial rainfall lessens areal extent of extreme drought over the interior. Over 80% of the local area remains in severe drought. 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): Shrinks to a smaller area, inside of a line from Oak Hill to Franklin to McKenzie to Brantley AL. Over interior southeast MS, a small section of east central Perry Co. extending into the southwest portion of Greene Co. D2 (Severe Drought): Much of the remainder of southwest AL and all of the northwest FL Panhandle. Much of the east central portions of interior southeast MS. D1 (Moderate Drought): Much of the remainder of interior southeast MS into the central portions of Mobile Co. AL. 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 Improved: Over portions of south central and southwest AL. Portions of the coastal northwest FL Panhandle and interior southeast MS. No Change: The remainder of the local area. Precipitation Summary of conditions and impacts: Over the past month, it’s been good news as rainfall has improved to the plus side of normal, ranging 150 to 300% of normal. The better pockets of rain in these ranges were focused over southeast MS and into portions of southwest AL. Another pocket set up over the northwest FL Panhandle, north of I-10. 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 Due to recent, beneficial rains the first half of the month of May, the US Geological Survey (USGS) indicates stages on river and/or stream points have improved to normal levels over southeast MS as well as a few points here and there over southwest AL and the northwest FL Panhandle. Several river points in the driest of areas though are still seeing problems with below to much below normal stages which may present waterway hazards 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 Wildland fire potential remains elevated. 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 have improved to normal levels over southeast MS and for only a few over southwest AL and the northwest FL Panhandle. A majority of rivers and streams though continue to experience low water levels over southwest AL and the northwest FL Panhandle. For these waterways, typically deeply submerged objects will likely be closer to the water’s surface or in some cases completely exposed, presenting a waterway hazard for safe recreational boating and commercial navigation. 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: Soil moisture levels have improved over southern MS as of May 20th. The driest conditions hold east and north of southern MS. Moisture starved soils, ranking in the very low 5 percentile or less covers a considerable area from the northern FL Panhandle to the Mid-Atlantic and into the Mid-South. This leads to very poor crop health, elevated risk of disease, and insect damage. Supplemental feeding required to maintain livestock. 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 the month of June suggests that the southeast U.S., including all of the northwest FL Panhandle has a threat of 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: Appears the outlook for rains through the upcoming week shows a demarcation between higher and lower amounts aligned near the center of the forecast area. Appears the focus of the better rainfall amounts over the local area through May 27th will be along and west of I-65 where some 1 to 2 inches of rain with locally higher amounts is expected through the period. East of the interstate and where drought intensity is strongest, the outlook for much needed, beneficial rain in these areas remains limited in the short term where rainfall amounts look to be less than an inch. Long-Range Outlooks Summary of conditions and impacts: To close out the month of May and entering the first of June, rainfall leans 40 to 50% above normal area-wide. As we move into the early half of the summer, there are indications that rainfall leans 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: Getting out of this drought will be a slow process. Even if Summer rainfall is at or above normal, the outlook calls for drought to persist through the end of August as the current event we find ourselves in has had a longer term development cycle. 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)