Nearly 80% Of FL Experiencing ‘Extreme’ Drought Conditions: Officials

Nearly 80 percent of Florida has faced “extreme” drought conditions, and nearly all of Florida has faced at least “moderate” drought so far in April, based on data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, according to an April 7 report from NASA.

While “unusually dry conditions gripped the state” most of last year, the drought conditions ramped up in January, NASA said.

Since Jan. 1, some parts of the state have received only one-quarter to one-third of their average rainfall, as Florida experiences its worst drought in 25 years, AccuWeather said.

The drought has affected the state’s underground water supplies, often the source of drinking water and water for farming, data from a NASA and German Research Center for Geosciences satellite mission show. Aquifers in the northern and central regions of the state are particularly dry, NASA said.

Some water districts across Florida have tightened water restrictions as the drought continues.

• Also Read: Water Restrictions Tighten Across Central FL As Extreme Drought Continues

For instance, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s new Modified Phase III Extreme Water Shortage Plan limits at-home lawn watering and car washing to once a week, among other restrictions.

At a time it’s needed the most, rain has returned to Florida this week, with showers and thunderstorms expected across most of the peninsula, and 4 to 8 inches forecast in some areas, experts said.

The rain could bring some relief to the state’s drought conditions, but there’s a long way to go.

To fully end the drought, at least 2 feet of rain will need to fall over the next three months, or more than 40 inches by the end of the rainy season that starts in October, the Weather Channel said.

And though the rain is needed, too much, too quickly - rather than falling steadily - can have negative consequences when the ground is so dry, according to the Weather Channel. “Drought-stricken soil doesn’t handle fast rainfall very well. It needs steady rain to be able to chip away at the drought.”