WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Most of the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County continue to be under extreme drought, according to the latest figures released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Compared to last week, changes to the drought map are minimal despite most of the area seeing rainfall. Since the last drought monitor, Vero Beach saw almost 2.5 inches of rain, while West Palm Beach saw just over .75 inches.
The biggest change can be seen in Southwest Florida, where Fort Myers has increased from severe to extreme drought.
The only areas of the WPTV viewing area not under extreme drought are southeastern Palm Beach County, portions of northwest Indian River County and northern Okeechobee County. These areas are under severe drought.
WATCH: Monitoring Lake Okeechobee water levels during extreme drought
Historically, when areas of Florida experience extreme drought conditions, the impacts include:
- Fire danger is extreme; fire restrictions increase
- Fish kills occur; toxic algae blooms appear
- Groundwater declines; Lake Okeechobee is extremely low
- Nesting bird populations grow with increased nesting area; mosquitoes increase
- Saltwater species replace freshwater species; sea intrusion
