The Water Shortage Warning Order issued by the Northwest Florida Water Management District on February 11 remains in effect.
The order calls for voluntary reductions in water usage in each of the 16 counties in northwest Florida.
May 5 update
Water levels across northwest Florida remain well under normal levels despite recent storms that brought as much as two inches of rain to areas across the Panhandle.
Below is a chart showing the rainfall deficit in each county both before and after the weekend rain event. A negative difference means the county saw a decrease in its rainfall deficit. A positive difference means the county saw an increase in its rainfall deficit.
For example, Jackson County had a rainfall deficit of 18.09 inches in its 365-day average as of May 1. Following the weekend rains, that deficit decreased by May 4 to 15.82 inches.
The recent rain comes on the heels of an unusually dry March, when the entire District saw ‘much below normal’ precipitation and ‘above normal’ temperatures.
For the month of March, an average of 1.94 inches of precipitation was recorded across northwest Florida. That total is 3.4 inches below normal precipitation for March.
The District posts its monthly hydrologic conditions report at https://nwfwater.com/data-publications/hydrologic-data/.
| County | 365-day departure from normal rainfall (inches) AS OF MAY 4, 2026 | 365-day departure from normal rainfall (inches) AS OF MAY 1, 2026 | difference |
| Bay | -14.03 | -15.17 | -1.14 |
| Calhoun | -17.19 | -18.65 | -1.46 |
| Escambia | -11.60 | -11.51 | 0.09 |
| Franklin | -10.13 | -10.96 | -0.83 |
| Gadsden | -15.29 | -17.62 | -2.33 |
| Gulf | -11.79 | -12.99 | -1.20 |
| Holmes | -15.64 | -17.68 | -2.04 |
| Jackson | -15.82 | -18.09 | -2.27 |
| Jefferson | -16.81 | -17.5 | -0.69 |
| Leon | -16.09 | -17.49 | -1.40 |
| Liberty | -10.61 | -12.54 | -1.93 |
| Okaloosa | -12.56 | -13.61 | -1.05 |
| Santa Rosa | -13.04 | -12.85 | 0.19 |
| Wakulla | -9.64 | -10.63 | -0.99 |
| Walton | -13.29 | -14.97 | -1.68 |
| Washington | -13.65 | -15.28 | -1.63 |
More on the Water Shortage Warning Order
The order encourages all users to reduce water use and to conserve water to the maximum extent possible.
Additionally:
- All landscape irrigation users are encouraged to limit irrigation to the low evaporation periods of the evening and early morning hours;
- These voluntary measures shall not be construed to limit any activities designed to prevent the spread of fire or to save property from being destroyed by fire;
- These voluntary measures do not exempt any water user from complying with applicable mandatory water-use restrictions placed on public supply utility consumers due to capacity problems with water supply facilities. In such cases, water users are encouraged to reduce water use in a manner consistent with the local restrictions, and to the extent practicable with this order;
- This Water Shortage Warning Order shall remain in place until rescinded by the Governing Board.