National Weather Service Text Product Display

Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS Miami, FL
Versions: 1 2

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AXUS72 KMFL 221954
DGTMFL

FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-251200

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
350 PM EST FRI MAR 22 2013

...MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS NOW IN PLACE ACROSS METRO BROWARD,
METRO MIAMI-DADE, WESTERN GLADES, MAINLAND MONROE, EASTERN COLLIER,
AND SOUTHERN MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES...

...ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE OVER THE REST OF SOUTH
FLORIDA...

SYNOPSIS...

RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA FOR THE FIRST PART OF
MARCH HAS BEEN LESS THAN A HALF AN INCH DUE TO HIGH PRESSURE
DOMINATING THE AREA. THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THIS IS NEAR LAKE
OKEECHOBEE WHERE 1 TO 2 INCHES HAVE OCCURRED, WHICH IS NEAR
NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.

HERE ARE SOME RAINFALL TOTALS AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL AT SEVERAL
SITES ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA FOR THIS DRY SEASON STARTING FROM
NOVEMBER 1, 2012 TO MARCH 21, 2013, AND FROM JANUARY 1, 2013 TO
MARCH 21, 2013.

                             RAINFALL  : DEPARTURE  : RAINFALL  : DEPARTURE
                             NOV1-MAR21: NOV1-MAR21 : JAN1-MAR21: JAN1-MAR21
                             2012-2013 : 2012-2013  : 2013-2013 : 2013-2013
AIRPORTS

FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL :  4.79  :   -9.71    :    3.21   :   -5.59
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL           :  4.11  :   -7.00    :    3.10   :   -2.70
NAPLES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT      :  4.34  :   -4.59    :    2.44   :   -3.00
PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL      :  5.65  :  -11.52    :    3.76   :   -5.28

SECONDARY OBSERVATION SITES

BELLE GLADE      (PALM BEACH) :  7.20  :   -2.95    :    3.78   :   -2.16
BIG CYPRESS      (COLLIER)    :  9.06  :   -0.06    :    5.13   :   -0.42
BRIGHTON RESERVATION (GLADES) :  5.95  :            :    4.10   :
CLEWISTON        (HENDRY)     :  5.69  :   -3.76    :    4.05   :   -2.12
IMMOKALEE        (COLLIER)    :  6.65  :   -3.92    :    4.03   :   -2.67
LA BELLE         (HENDRY)     :  4.22  :   -6.44    :    3.05   :   -3.58
MIAMI BEACH      (MIAMI-DADE) :  7.25  :   -3.92    :    3.86   :   -2.52
MOORE HAVEN LOCK  (GLADES)    :  6.89  :   -2.78    :    4.86   :   -1.38
MUSE             (HENDRY)     :  4.25  :            :    2.66   :


                              PERCENT OF NORMAL       PERCENT OF NORMAL
                             NOV1,2012-MAR21,2013    JAN1,2013-MAR21,2013
AIRPORTS

FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL        33%                      36%
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL                  37%                      53%
NAPLES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT             49%                      45%
PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL             33%                      42%

SECONDARY OBSERVATION SITES

BELLE GLADE                          71%                      64%
BIG CYPRESS                          99%                      92%
CLEWISTON                            60%                      66%
IMMOKALEE                            63%                      60%
LA BELLE                             40%                      46%
MIAMI BEACH                          65%                      61%
MOORE HAVEN LOCK                     71%                      78%

NOTE: SECONDARY OBSERVATIONS ARE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER SITES, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BELLE GLADE AND
CLEWISTON. THESE TWO EXCEPTIONS ARE PROVIDED COURTESY OF THE FLORIDA
AUTOMATED WEATHER NETWORK, OR FAWN. NORMAL VALUES ARE NOT AVAILABLE
AT ALL OBSERVATION LOCATIONS, SUCH AS MUSE AND BRIGHTON RESERVATION.

THE LACK OF RAINFALL OVER MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA FOR THE EARLY PART
OF MARCH HAS ALLOWED FOR THE EXPANSION OF MODERATE DROUGHT
CONDITIONS (D1) INTO METRO BROWARD AND METRO MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES
ALONG WITH WESTERN GLADES COUNTY. THE MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS
(D1) ALSO CONTINUED FOR SOUTHERN MIAMI-DADE...MAINLAND MONROE...AND
EASTERN COLLIER COUNTIES. THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH FLORIDA REMAINED IN
ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS (D0).

HYDROLOGICAL IMPACTS...

THE WATER LEVEL IN THE WELLS ACROSS THE EASTERN AREAS OF SOUTH
FLORIDA REMAIN AT NEAR-NORMAL CONDITIONS FOR THIS TIME OF
YEAR...WHILE THE WELLS ACROSS THE WESTERN AREAS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
HAVE FALLEN INTO THE LOWEST 10 TO 30 PERCENT LEVELS.

AS OF LATE THIS WEEK, THE SURFACE WATER RESERVOIR LEVELS IN PALM
BEACH COUNTY WERE AROUND 16.3 FEET, WHICH IS 0.8 FEET ABOVE NORMAL.
IN BROWARD COUNTY...THE RESERVOIR LEVELS WERE AROUND 10.3 FEET, WHICH
IS 0.9 FEET BELOW NORMAL. IN MIAMI DADE COUNTY...THE RESERVOIR LEVELS
WERE AROUND 9.4 FEET, WHICH IS 0.2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL.

THE LEVEL OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE WAS AROUND 13.95 FEET AS OF MARCH 21,
WHICH IS ABOUT 0.45 FEET BELOW THE NORMAL LEVEL OF 14.40 FEET. THE
LEVEL OF FISHEATING CREEK IN PALMDALE WAS 0.6 FEET AS OF MARCH 22,
WHICH IS 1.5 FEET BELOW THE NORMAL LEVEL OF 2.1 FEET FOR THIS TIME OF
YEAR.

FIRE DANGER IMPACTS...

AS OF MARCH 21...THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX (KBDI) WAS 600 TO
650 OVER MIAMI-DADE AND GLADES COUNTIES...550 TO 600 OVER BROWARD
AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES...AND 450 TO 500 OVER REST OF SOUTH
FLORIDA. THIS PUTS MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA IN A HIGH RISK OF WILDFIRES
EXCEPT FOR GLADES AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES WHICH ARE IN A VERY HIGH
RISK OF WILDFIRES.

RESPONSE/ACTIONS...

A BURN BAN REMAINS IN PLACE FOR GLADES AND HENDRY COUNTIES.

THE UNITED STATES ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS HAS KEPT ALL OF THE LOCKS
ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE OPEN.

THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT HAS KEPT ALL OF SOUTH
FLORIDA IN AN ANNUAL WATER RESTRICTION, WHICH LIMITS WATER USAGE AT
THREE DAYS A WEEK. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WATER SHORTAGE CONDITIONS
AND WATER USAGE RESTRICTION, PLEASE VISIT THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER
MANAGEMENT WEB SITE AT WWW.SFWMD.GOV.

OUTLOOK...

A WARM FRONT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY FOLLOWED BY
A COLD FRONT LATE THIS WEEKEND. THIS WEATHER PATTERN WILL BRING SOME
SHOWERS AND EVEN A FEW STORMS TO THE AREA THIS WEEKEND. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD INTO SOUTH FLORIDA FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK
BRINGING BACK DRY WEATHER TO THE AREA.

THE PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER CALLS
FOR AN ENHANCED LIKELIHOOD OF NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL THROUGH
APRIL. THE LONG TERM OUTLOOK FOR THE APRIL TO JUNE PERIOD IS FOR AN
ENHANCED LIKELIHOOD OF NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL.

THE NEXT UPDATE TO THIS DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE AROUND THE FIRST
PART OF APRIL, UNLESS CONDITIONS CHANGE BEFORE THAT TIME. STAY TUNED
TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND
UPDATES.

$$

BAXTER
National Weather Service National Headquarters
