Wet Season off to an Early Start in Florida

Every year, the Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1. So far in 2018 though, Mother Nature seems to be on a different schedule. As of this post, the National Hurricane Center was watching an area of low pressure off Florida’s Southwest Coast sporting tropical and/or subtropical tendencies. The area of disturbed weather already is delivering a hefty dose of rainfall across the entire peninsula — with more on the way. The wet weather is adding on to what has been a relatively damp dry season for most of the Sunshine State.

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According to reports, all counties in the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) experienced higher-than-average rainfall during April, with several counties seeing twice their average. This is quite a difference from a year ago, when rainfall was scant around the state and burn bans were rampant.

Florida's St. Johns River Water Management District rainfall map for April 2018

The wet season in Central Florida normally doesn’t set in until late May. Last month’s plentiful precipitation brought the 12-month total in the SJRWMD to above average, with a zone of very high rainfall running through northern Alachua, most of Putnam, Southwest St. Johns, and Nnorthwest Flagler counties. Districtwide, the annual rainfall total is more than 11 inches above average.

The southernmost part of the district, including Indian River, Osceola, and portions of Brevard County, was a little bit drier. The average rainfall for those counties ranged from 2.4 to 2.7 inches.

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Areas of South Florida also have been getting a good soak, with several inches of rain predicted to fall over the region the next couple of days.

The wet season in South Florida, which normally begins a couple weeks earlier than the rest of the state, is forecast to start with above average rainfall before settling into the typical cycle of frequent afternoon showers.

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