Northeast Florida 2021 Drought Begins

The 2021 drought in Northeast Florida began on June 10, 2021. The drought was expected but at the same time was a little bit of surprise due to the fact that the area had a rainfall surplus of 5 inches after a wet winter and early spring.

May greatly contributed to the drought status. In fact, it was the fourth driest May in Jacksonville’s history. Less than half an inch of rain fell during the entire month. During an average year, the area sees around 51 inches of precipitation of year. As of June 10^th, we had only seen around 18 inches of rain.

Despite the deficit, the area isn’t close to any type of substantial long-term drought. The Keetch-Byram drought index (KBDI) is a great tool that measures the amount of dryness in the soil. Florida has seen significant droughts on high-end of the impact scale. The KBDI was reported to be around 436 in early June.

A continued dry weather pattern could lead to an increase of wildfires and enhanced water restrictions. But don’t expect the drought to be prolonged like what we experienced around the 2000, 2006, 2010 or even 2016. Long-term model forecasts show significant drought relief in late August and September. For more on the local watering restrictions: CLICK HERE