Drought Information Statement for southeast Mississippi, southwest Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle Valid: September 24, 2026 This product will be updated October 22, 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) HIGH INTENSITY DROUGHT RETURNS Persistent dryness over the long term has resulted in a return to drought. Moderate drought in place for much of the interior. Pockets of severe drought have developed over portions of interior southwest Alabama and southeast Mississippi. 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: D2 (Severe Drought): Develops over much of Wilcox, eastern Monroe, all of Conecuh, western Butler, northwest Covington and northern Escambia counties in Alabama. Much of Perry county in southeast Mississippi D1 (Moderate Drought): Much of the remainder of the interior, north of the I-10 corridor. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Much of the coastal counties, along and south of the I-10 corridor. 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 of southwest Alabama over the I-65 corridor. Drought Improved: Some improvement over southern Santa Rosa County over the northwest Florida Panhandle. Precipitation Summary of conditions and impacts: Since late August, rainfall has been in short supply over the interior along with southeast Mississippi to the Alabama coastal counties. The largest deficits against the 30-day means were most prevalent along the I-65 corridor and eastern U.S. Highway 84 corridors of southwest and south-central Alabama where 50% and less of normal rainfall was focused. The better surplus of rains, 150% + of normal, was confined to Choctaw County in Alabama and a small portion of the south-central sections of the northwest Florida Panhandle. 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 several local river and/or stream points are below to much below normal. 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. Agricultural Impacts Crop condition in the driest of areas is poor, more susceptible to disease and insect damage. Supplemental feeding will likely be needed to maintain livestock health. Fire Hazard Impacts Although the risk of significant wildland fire is above normal from the state of Mississippi westward, 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 & Impacts Select River/Creek Data Most current stages and flow for each state’s stream and river points: Mississippi (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/state/Mississippi/) and Alabama (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/state/Alabama/) and Florida (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/state/Florida/) Summary of conditions and impacts: Several local waterway flows are at below to much below normal levels. 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. Agricultural Impacts Summary of conditions and impacts: Per latest data from the USDA September 22, 2026, top and subsoil moisture strata reflects greatest areal deficits in Mississippi and Alabama. Topsoil/Subsoil Moisture % Short to Very Short: Mississippi - 77% / 75% Alabama - 47% / 46% Mississippi - 11% / 15% Crop condition in the driest of areas is poor, more susceptible to disease and insect damage. Supplemental feeding will likely be needed to maintain livestock health. 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 risk of significant wildland fire is above normal from the southern Plains, east texas to across the Lower Mississippi Valley through September. It’s important to 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: An approaching weather system brings an uptick in rain chances to close out the month of September. Rainfall totals could add up to around an inch along the Gulf coast and generally a half inch or less over the interior the next seven days. Even so, any improvement in drought in the shorter term is not expected. Long-Range Outlooks Summary of conditions and impacts: May be some good news on the horizon in the longer term regarding precipitation. To close out the year, rainfall is favored to lean above normal (40 to 60%) over the local area during the October 1st to December 31st time-frame. 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: The seasonal outlook calls for drought to improve or end entirely over the local area by December 31st. 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)