Extreme drought expands to all of Southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Although rain returned to parts of the Gulf Coast recently, the drought continues to worsen. Extreme drought has taken hold across the entirety of the region. That includes all six counties in the area — Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, Glades and DeSoto.

Last week, parts of Lee, Collier and Hendry counties were still under a severe drought, a category lower.

As more rain is forecast in the coming days, the coverage will not be widespread enough to bring relief to the majority of the Gulf Coast. The rainy season begins May 15 here in Southwest Florida, and unless we see a larger-scale weathermaker move through, drought conditions are expected to persist.

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