Extreme drought persists in parts of South Florida, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with surrounding areas still suffering from severe drought.
Drought intensity is separated into five categories — abnormally dry, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought.
Parts of western Broward County and much of western Miami-Dade County, including swaths of the Florida Everglades, are under extreme drought, according to Drought.gov. The remaining areas in both counties are largely under severe drought. Eastern Palm Beach County is under moderate drought, while the western part of the county is under severe drought.
None of South Florida is considered to be under exceptional drought.
In Miami-Dade County, 100% of the population
is "affected by drought," according to the drought monitor, with 100% of the population affected in Broward County as well.About 14.7 million Florida residents are in areas of drought, according to Drought.gov, and the period from January to July this year was the 14th driest on record since 1895.
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Extreme drought persists in parts of Miami-Dade, Broward
