Drought Conditions Creep up in Parts of the Sunshine State
December 20, 2018 
This map of the St. Johns River Water Management District shows the tale of two precipitation patterns during November.
Even though consistent cold fronts have ushered rounds of stormy weather into the Florida peninsula for several weeks in a row, the dry season is starting to show its teeth. According to data collected by Florida’s St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), rainfall during November was above average in most areas, except for a zone of below-average rainfall in the district’s southernmost counties.
SJRWMD reported less than two inches of rain was recorded during November in Brevard, Indian River, and areas of Osceola, Orange, and Okeechobee counties. Low November rainfall has contributed to developing drought conditions in Indian River and Brevard counties.
Similarly, portions of the South Florida Water Management District have seen slightly above-average rainfall so far during December, while other parts – particularly the Everglades Agricultural Area south of Lake Okeechobee — are running well below normal.
In late October, NOAA released its Winter outlook, which called for wetter-than-average conditions across the southern tier of the U.S. North Florida and South Georgia have the greatest odds for above-average precipitation this winter, according to the government agency.
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