CLERMONT, Fla. — Much of the St. Johns River Water Management District has now experienced approximately one year of below-average rainfall, highlighting how drought conditions develop gradually and why water resource recovery can take much longer than several rainfall events, district officials said.
While recent rain has improved conditions in some areas, Lake and Marion counties remain among the Central Florida locations with the lowest rainfall totals, according to Clay Coarsey, director of water supply planning for the district. Prolonged dry conditions continue to affect groundwater levels, rivers, lakes and wetlands throughout portions of the region. Groundwater levels in some areas began declining in fall 2025 following a shift to below-normal rainfall patterns, and those deficits accumulated month after month, leading to current drought conditions.
“Lake County and Marion County, those are two counties in Central Florida where we have really low rainfall levels, where we should be in the neighborhood of 54 inches,” Coarsey said. “And for Marion County, we’re sitting around 37, so about 17 inches, almost a foot-and-a-half below normal. And Lake County sitting around 41 inches. So right about a foot below normal.”…