Thrive
Drought conditions might ease slightly with weekend rain
The National Weather Service predicts a 70 percent chance of rain over the weekend.
Although it won’t be the sort of precipitation that will reverse the drought conditions currently plaguing Florida, some rain is forecast this weekend.
According to meteorologist Nicole Carlisle of the National Weather Service’s Ruskin office, a low pressure system is expected to move across the state Saturday afternoon and into Sunday, bringing some measure of sweet relief to the entire Tampa Bay area.
“The rain chances are pretty high,” Carlisle said. “We’re looking at 70 percent or so. The rainfall amounts are a little bit up in the air still. Probably at least an inch. I don’t that’s really going to do too much for the drought, but it will be nice for our plants and our grass.”
The rainy respite, the meteorologist stressed, is “just a frontal boundary, and not our rainy season or anything like that.”
Temperatures on Monday will be normal, in the low 80s, for this time of year. “We’ve actually been a few degrees above normal,” Carlisle explained, “so we’re really going to ‘cool down,’ quote unquote.”
The U.S. Drought Monitor lists Florida’s west coast, from Cystal River south to Naples, as under D3 (Extreme Drought) conditions. Impacts of a D3 include: Fire danger is extreme, fire restrictions increase; Fish kills occur, toxic algae blooms appear; Ground water declines, Lake Okeechobee is extremely low; Nesting bird populations grow with increased nesting area, mosquitoes increase; Saltwater species replace freshwater species; sea intrusion.
Pinellas County remains under severe watering restrictions. Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) has issued a Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage Order, emphasizing the need for customers throughout Pinellas County and surrounding areas to take immediate action to conserve water.
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