Hydrologic Conditions Report –SRWMD 2025-11-30

Every county in the Suwannee River Basin is in drought, according to SRWMD’s own Hydrologic Conditions Report for November 30, 2025 presented in their Board meeting of December 9, 2025.

But not droughty enough for SRWMD to declare even a voluntary Drought Warning, according to the Drought Workshop after the Board meeting. I have sent in a FOIA request for the Workshop slides. Both meetings are in the SRWMD YouTube post for 2025-12-09.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LDIIdFqxaY

Meanwhile, here is the SRWMD Hydrologic Conditions Report for November 2025, plus some related information.

Such as SRWMD actually does have “Year-Round Lawn & Landscape Irrigation Measures,” but nobody seems to know about them. And that page does not seem to include agricultural, mining, or water bottling water use.

Hydrologic Conditions Report –SRWMD 2025-11-30, Drought throughout the Basin, But not enough for SRWMD Warning

According to the first page of the report, November saw the second least November rainfall since 1932.

According to the second page, all District counties are in drought, the worse the farther north. And the NOAA prediction is above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall through February 2026.

According the the U.S. Drought Monitor a week later, conditions were slightly better (due to some weekend rain). But that will not continue; see the above prediction.

RAINFALL

Districtwide average rainfall for the month was 0.13”, which was about 94 percent lower than the 1932-2024 average of 2.34” (Table 1, Figure 1). This rainfall amount represents the 2nd lowest value in the 1932-2024 long-term record for November, with the period-of-record low being 0.09” in 1936. The 12-month period ending November 30 reflected a Districtwide rainfall deficit of 12.94”, which was an increase to the 11.82” deficit seen at the end of October. District counties ranged from <0.1” to almost 0.5” of rainfall on average, with parts of Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Columbia counties receiving more than 1” of rainfall (Figure 2).
Overall, a 12-month rainfall deficit was present in all river basins, with each increasing in deficit by the end of November (Figure 3). An area of 12-month surplus greater than 3” was represented in the Waccasassa Basin. Sections with deficits greater than 21” were observed in 4 of the 5 basins. Four of the river basins also increased their 3-month rainfall deficits, with the Aucilla showing slight improvement at the end of November (Figure 4). While no surpluses were seen over the past 3 months, the Waccasassa Basin had a small area with neutral (-1” to 1”) rainfall conditions. Large portions with greater than 7” of rainfall deficit were located throughout each of the 5 basins.

Rainfall and Surface Water, 2025-11-30 –SRWMD Hydro Conditions Report
PDF

CLIMATE AND DROUGHT OUTLOOK

La Niña conditions are present and favored to continue through the winter 2025-26, with a 61% chance of ENSO-neutral transition likely between January and March 2026.

The NOAA three-month seasonal outlook suggests above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation within the District from December 2025 to February 2026.

The U.S. Drought Monitor report released on Thursday, December 4^th shows Moderate Drought (D1) in southern and eastern Levy County, Severe Drought (D2) across most southern and central District counties, and Extreme Drought (D3) in the north. For the first time since 2012, Exceptional Drought (D4) has been designated in our District and can be seen in both Jefferson and Madison counties.

Groundwater, Climate and Drought Outlook, Conservation, 2025-11-30 –SRWMD Hydro Conditions Report
PDF

This is the SRWMD conservation measures page referred to in the report:
https://www.srwmd.org/337/Lawn-Landscape-Irrigation-Measures

Year Round Lawn Landscape Irrigation Measures, retrieved 2025-12-14 –SRWMD

For the December 4 U.S. Drought Monitor Report for December 2 that is referenced in this Hydro Report, see:

https://wwals.net/?p=68996

Here is information from the December 11 U.S. Drought Monitor Report for December 9, 2025.

Images of the rest of the SRWMD Hydro Report for November 2025 are below.

For the October 2025 Hydro Report, see:

https://wwals.net/?p=68881

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/