South Florida’s dangerously dry and still chilly. When will we see a change?
When’s it going to rain again? Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys issued a water shortage warning on Friday since scant rain has fallen since November.
And how much longer will we wake to mornings in the 50s in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area?
We need rain. When?
First up, the drought.
Miami saw some rain ahead of last week’s record-setting cold fronts that saw temperatures drop to the 30s, with wind chills in the 20s, in parts of Miami-Dade and Broward. But the rain was more of a tease, a welcome coating atop yard plants to protect them from the extreme cold. The drizzling was hardly the kind of soaker to satisfy the parched Biscayne Aquifer.
The aquifer, which hydrates the region’s water supply, is at its lowest point in decades in some places, like the lower part of the state, according to the South Florida Water Management District. Less than 4 inches of rain has helped supply the water feeder system since November, according to WLRN.
Alas, rain isn’t expected in South Florida through the work week. The next best chance for rain is Sunday morning through the afternoon, when the National Weather Service in Miami forecasts a 28% chance. That’s the high part of the forecast, around 7 a.m. Sunday. Just 0.02 inches of rain are in that forecast, though, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. before falling off to 0.01 inches into the early evening.
Miami-Dade and Broward are running in the moderate drought range, with some inland areas in the severe drought range, sparking an enhanced fire risk, according to meteorologist Lissette Gonzalez, from Miami Herald news partner, CBS News Miami. The Florida Keys are running under dry conditions.
A wildfire burning in far western Broward County, the “Buggy Fire” near the Holey Land Wildlife Management area ,has burned about 4,300 acres and was 90% contained by Monday morning, Gonzalez reported. But smoke was affecting visibility on Alligator Alley between mile markers 32 and 35. Monday afternoon winds out of the east should steer smoke to the west and into the Everglades, according to Gonzalez.
If you have plans for an outdoor Valentine’s Day brunch or dinner on Saturday, go ahead and keep them booked. As of Monday morning, the weather service eyes a less than 10% chance for the day, rising to 20% and the near 30% figure for Sunday.
How many more cold mornings?
It is winter after all, so waking to temperatures in the 50s, or even upper 40s, shouldn’t be a shocker. But this is also Miami and for two or more weeks getting out from under the comforters every morning for work, along to cold weather alerts, has been a grind.
At 7 a.m. Monday in Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale, it was 51 degrees, according to the weather service.
Tuesday’s morning wake-up forecast calls for 59 degrees. Wednesday’s 60 degree prediction heralds a run of 60 or 61 through Friday. Saturday’s Valentine’s Day morning is forecast at 64 and Sunday gets us back to 70 at 8 a.m.
Highs will run in the mid- to upper-70s through the week.
Key West and the island chain should see mid-60s lows and mid-70s highs through the Valentine’s Day weekend, with just a 20% chance of rain Sunday.
