The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows that an area of severe (D2) drought has been added to eastern Georgia and southern South Carolina due to continuing dryness and above-normal temperatures. Dry conditions decreased somewhat in Virginia and Florida and expanded slightly in North Carolina and Alabama. There was no change in drought status in Puerto Rico. With less than half an inch of precipitation expected in most of the region other than eastern North Carolina and southern Florida, I expect the coverage of drought to increase in next week’s map.
![](https://site.extension.uga.edu/climate/files/2022/05/dm-20220510_southeast_none.png)