The recent wave of cold weather in Marion County has created abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions for over 200,000 residents and thousands of livestock.
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, virtually the entirety of Florida is experiencing some level of dryness or drought.
In Marion County, approximately 69.7% of residents are currently being impacted by drought conditions. That equates to around 230,909 individuals, according to the NOAA.
The southern half of Marion County is currently categorized as “abnormally dry” (D0), while the northern half is categorized as moderate drought (D1).
According to the NOAA, abnormally dry conditions suggest that the area may be going into or coming out of drought.
The data also suggests that Marion County has only received around 50% of its normal precipitation for this time of year. As of November, the county was down around 1.63 inches from its normal rainfall numbers in years past.
The report indicates that Marion County experienced its 14th driest November on record over the past 130 years in 2024, which is the most recent month for which data is available.
Over the past week, the county has received between .01 and .5 inches of rain.
According to the report, there are approximately 19,527 acres of hay in drought in the county, as well as 43 acres of corn, 22,274 cattle, and 1,678 sheep.
The forecast for the next seven days shows that Marion County should get rain on Tuesday, and should see around an inch of rain over the next week.
Although the drought is expected to persist in the northern half of the county, the southern half should see the drought conditions end soon, according to the NOAA.
To read the complete report, visit the NOAA Drought Conditions webpage.