2 weeks Ago By Bill Kearney
It’s been a dry winter in South Florida, and the coming months will likely make it a very dry spring.According to the U.S.
Drought Monitor, South Florida is currently experiencing “severe drought conditions.”And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it’s likely we’ll have below-normal rain for the next month at least.How dry is dry? Both Broward and the coastal areas of Palm Beach counties have received about .
3 inches of rain this month, about 18% of the 1.63-inch to 1.94-inch norm, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
And for 2025 thus far, rainfall totals so far currently add up to only 1.35 inches in Broward. That’s about 33% of the 4.
14-inch norm.Coastal Palm Beach County is similar, with 1.39 inches, 27% of the 5.
16-inch norm.The near future might see some rain, but it won’t be enough to end the drought. There’s a 39% chance of rain Tuesday afternoon, and a 24% chance on Wednesday, but the remainder of the week should be dry, said the National Weather Service.
In fact, the chance of rain will fluctuate between 4% and 1% through Friday. The weekend has about a 10% chance of rain at this point.Winds will pick up as the week progresses, with relatively calm winds through Wednesday, but ramping to 14 mph on Thursday with gusts to 24 mph.
It should remain gusty through Saturday.NOAA said the impacts of severe drought in Florida can include:— Air and water quality are poor; water salinity is high; river and lake levels are low.— Large increase of wildfire abundance; fire danger is elevated; burn bans are implemented.
— Lawns and landscapes go dormant.— Pasture is drying, hay yields are low.In a long-term climate forecast released last week, NOAA said that drought conditions in South Florida would likely remain from April through June, but improve slightly to “moderate drought” during that time.
Drought conditions on the west coast of Florida would likely end by June.The forecast also said that above-average temperatures are likely on the east coast this spring, with the highest chances for central and south Florida.Related ArticlesWeather | Brush fire grows to 24,000 acres in Miami-Dade, prompting road closures and smoke warningsThis year’s dry conditions, and a windy blast of dry air last week, resulted in a 26,719-acre wildfire outside of Homestead, Florida.
That fire risk has dropped as humidity has picked up and wind has diminished.The Homestead fire is still active, according to the Florida Forest Service, as was 80% contained as of Monday afternoon..
