Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN) Storm Center | By Irene Sans
Florida continues with a worsening drought. There is an extreme drought now affecting parts of South Florida and a severe drought that has expanded across much of the state as well.
The only area that’s not experiencing a drought is from Alachua County northward towards Tallahassee through Pensacola. There’s a small area with abnormally dry conditions from Apalachicola through Panama City Beach.
These are the driest months of the year. As we approach the final stretch of the dry season, wildfire danger will increase, typically reaching its peak. Wildfire season goes year-round for the state of Florida and peaks between April and June. It coincides with the end of the dry season and the aftermath of a very dry one.
For perspective, here are a few rain totals so far this year. Keep in mind that the Panhandle area is showing signs of a growing drought. Therefore, you will see some totals that are closer to the average throughout the period. As we move more south across the peninsula, you will notice a bigger difference between averages and actual observations.
The Tallahassee area averages 16.63 inches of rain between January 1 and April 22. So far, the area has gained 16.24 inches of rain.
The Jacksonville area has received a bit more precipitation than average, around 3 inches above normal for this time of year. The area has accumulated 14.6 inches of rain, while the average for the period from January 1 to April 22 is 11.67 inches.
Gainesville is slightly below average through this time. Period averages between January 1 and April 22 are 11.54 inches in the area, with a total of 10.58 inches accumulated.
The Orlando area has received 4.02 inches of rain from January 1 through April 22. The average value is 9.43 inches for the same time. Period, we’re not even halfway through that.
Naples’ average year-to-date rainfall is 6.77 inches. This area has only received 1.91 inches of rain.
The year-to-date total across Miami has reached 4.23 inches of rain. This is about half of the average, which is 8.81 inches of rain between January 1 and April 22.
Keep in mind that the wildfire danger can increase if certain weather conditions are present, such as low humidity and strong winds. Dry vegetation serves as fuel for fires that get started.
Water conservation
In Florida, water management districts are responsible for managing and regulating water resources, which include water supply, quality, and flood control. There are five water management districts across the state, split by regions. Some areas have water restrictions year-round, regardless of whether drought conditions exist. The water districts advise residents to check their city or county regulations to see if any are in effect. Usually, local governments are the ones to enforce stricter measures to conserve water. Currently, most of the state is under some form of restrictions, primarily focused on lawn watering. However, locally, there may be additional restrictions in place.
Here are some tips for water conservation that you can practice year-round:
- Watering your plants in the morning or evening will limit evaporation.
- Take shorter showers.
- Shut off the water while brushing teeth or washing dishes.
- Fix any leaks in the faucet, toilets, or throughout the plumbing system.
- Make sure to do laundry with a healthy load of clothes, not just a few garments.
- Make sure to run the dishwasher when it is fully loaded.
- Using mulch can help keep more moisture in your plants.
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