The latest U.S. drought monitor shows despite the rain our region saw on Monday, drought conditions persist across much of Lee, Collier, Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades and Hendry counties.
The drought monitor, produced through a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States Department of Commerce, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Drought Mitigation Center, is updated nationwide each Thursday.
The latest data, taking into account what fell on Monday, lists Charlotte County as the driest of our area's coastal counties, with 93.43% being in moderate drought.
Hendry County remains the driest county in our inland regions with 19.88% listed as being in severe drought.
One area of the west coast of Florida that did see improvement in the past week is Sarasota County.
Last week, more than half of the county was in severe drought.
This week, severe areas have been taken out of the county though the entire area remains in moderate drought.
With little to no substantial rain expected over the course of the next week, there's no indication the drought along the Gulf Coast will end in the foreseeable future.
Several counties along the Gulf Coast have enacted burn bans until further notice, including Collier, Charlotte and Hendry.