Drought Information Statement for southeast Mississippi, southwest Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle Valid: December 30, 2025 This product will be updated January 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) DROUGHT CHANGES LITTLE OVER THE CENTRAL GULF COAST REGION Severe to Extreme drought holds for portions of the interior. Moderate drought persists over much of the remainder of the area. 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): A small portion of northeast Choctaw Co. Alabama. D2 (Severe Drought): Eastern Choctaw, northern Clarke and extreme western portions of Wilcox Co.’s in Alabama. D1 (Moderate Drought): Much of the interior along the Highway 84 corridor, southward to much of the northwest Florida Panhandle. Central portions of interior southeast Mississippi. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Portions of southwest and coastal Alabama. 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: No Change: Much of the local area. Precipitation Summary of conditions and impacts: Over the past month, the I-65 corridor southward to the much of the coast and into portions of interior southeast Mississippi has received above to slightly above normal rainfall. The drier locations with deficits 25 to 75% of normal rainfall was focused over the northern third of the local area, along and north of the Highway 84 corridor, west of I-65. 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 below to much below normal levels. Rivers and streams that are experiencing lower water levels, will likely result in what is typically deeply submerged objects being likely closer to the water’s surface or in some cases exposed, presenting a 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. Pasture lands provide little to no livestock feed. 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 The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise ID calls for above normal risk for wildland fire to carry over into the new year over the southeast US. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged until conditions improve. For counties under burn bans, penalties for burning will likely result in hefty fines. 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. 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) Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Summary of conditions and impacts: Stages on nearly all local river and/or stream points are at below to much below normal levels. Rivers and streams that are experiencing lower water levels will likely result in what is typically deeply submerged objects being likely closer to the water’s surface or in some cases exposed. Waterway hazards are increased for safe recreational boating and commercial navigation. Summary of conditions and impacts: Driest conditions are leading to poor crop health. Supplemental feeding likely 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. Agricultural Impacts Summary of conditions and impacts: 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. Above normal risk of wildland fire potential remains over the southeast to open up the new year. 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) Fire Hazard Impacts 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 looks to be limited with amounts primarily less than an inch over much of the area. Little change in drought intensity is anticipated. Long-Range Outlooks Summary of conditions and impacts: Looking ahead, the outlook for needed rainfall to alleviate drought conditions is slim at best. Below normal precipitation is favored over the deep south through February 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.