WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows a mix of improvement and deterioration across South Florida this week as uneven summer rainfall continues to affect the region.
Drought conditions improved slightly around Lake Okeechobee and portions of Palm Beach County. The latest map shows some areas of severe drought, or D2, shrinking compared with last week, while moderate drought, or D1, also retreated in parts of eastern Palm Beach County.
However, the improvement was not widespread. A small portion of southeastern Florida, from Delray Beach north through West Palm Beach saw drought conditions worsen this week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Despite frequent summer thunderstorms, much of Florida continues to experience a rainfall deficit. Over the past 30 days, below-normal rainfall has been reported across much of the state away from the immediate Gulf Coast.
Recent rain has also had a harder time making a significant dent in Florida’s drought because the state typically receives some of its highest rainfall totals of the year during the summer. That means even locations receiving several inches of rain can still fall short of what is considered normal for this time of year…