589 AXUS72 KMFL 020144 DGTMFL FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-041200 DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 844 PM EST FRI MAR 1 2013 ...MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS REMAIN OVER SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF MIAMI-DADE AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES... ...ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE OVER THE REST OF SOUTH FLORIDA... SYNOPSIS... NEAR-NORMAL PRECIPITATION OCCURRED OVER MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA, WITH BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL OVER FAR SOUTHERN AREAS. A SERIES OF FRONTAL SYSTEMS PROVIDED ENOUGH MOISTURE TO PRODUCE AN AVERAGE OF 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN OVER SOUTH FLORIDA. 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 FEBRUARY 28, 2013, AND FROM JANUARY 1, 2013 TO FEBRUARY 28, 2013. RAINFALL : DEPARTURE : RAINFALL : DEPARTURE NOV1-FEB28: NOV1-FEB28 : JAN1-FEB28: JAN1-FEB28 2012-2013 : 2012-2013 : 2013-2013 : 2013-2013 AIRPORTS FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL : 4.70 : -7.59 : 3.12 : -3.47 MIAMI INTERNATIONAL : 3.40 : -5.78 : 2.39 : -1.48 NAPLES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT : 3.72 : -3.72 : 1.82 : -2.13 PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL : 5.08 : -9.00 : 3.19 : -2.76 SECONDARY OBSERVATION SITES BELLE GLADE (PALM BEACH) : 5.82 : -2.34 : 2.39 : -1.56 BIG CYPRESS (COLLIER) : 7.98 : +0.75 : 4.05 : +0.39 BRIGHTON RESERVATION (GLADES) : 5.75 : : 3.90 : CLEWISTON (HENDRY) : 4.80 : -2.66 : 3.16 : -1.02 IMMOKALEE (COLLIER) : 5.11 : -3.40 : 2.49 : -2.17 LA BELLE (HENDRY) : 3.59 : -4.76 : 2.42 : -1.90 MIAMI BEACH (MIAMI-DADE) : 4.01 : -5.20 : 3.71 : -0.71 MOOREHAVEN LOCK (GLADES) : 6.31 : -1.04 : 4.28 : +0.36 MUSE (HENDRY) : 3.85 : : 2.26 : PERCENT OF NORMAL PERCENT OF NORMAL NOV1,2012-FEB28,2013 JAN1,2013-FEB28,2012 AIRPORTS FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL 38% 47% MIAMI INTERNATIONAL 37% 62% NAPLES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT 50% 46% PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL 36% 54% SECONDARY OBSERVATION SITES BELLE GLADE 71% 61% BIG CYPRESS 110% 111% CLEWISTON 64% 76% IMMOKALEE 60% 53% LA BELLE 43% 56% MIAMI BEACH 44% 84% MOORE HAVEN LOCK 86% 109% 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 SLIGHT INCREASE IN RAINFALL IN FEBRUARY RESULTED IN THE REMOVAL OF MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS (D1) OVER METRO SOUTHEAST FLORIDA, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOUTHERN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTY. THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH FLORIDA IS IN ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS (D0). HYDROLOGICAL IMPACTS... THE WATER LEVEL IN THE WELLS ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA REMAIN AT NEAR-NORMAL CONDITIONS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. AS OF LATE THIS WEEK, THE SURFACE WATER RESERVOIR LEVELS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY WERE AROUND 16.6 FEET, WHICH IS 0.9 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. IN BROWARD COUNTY...THE RESERVOIR LEVELS WERE AROUND 11.5 FEET, WHICH IS 0.3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. IN MIAMI DADE COUNTY...THE RESERVOIR LEVELS WERE AROUND 9.7 FEET, WHICH IS 0.2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. THE LEVEL OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE WAS AROUND 14.40 FEET AS OF FEBRUARY 28, WHICH IS ABOUT 0.13 FEET BELOW THE NORMAL LEVEL OF 14.53 FEET. THE LEVEL OF FISHEATING CREEK IN PALMDALE WAS 1.3 FEET AS OF FEBRUARY 28, WHICH IS 0.8 FEET BELOW THE NORMAL LEVEL OF 2.1 FEET FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. FIRE DANGER IMPACTS... AS OF FEBRUARY 27...THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX (KBDI) WAS 550 TO 600 OVER MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA, EXCEPT FOR HENDRY AND GLADES COUNTIES WHERE IT WAS 450 TO 500 AND COLLIER COUNTY WHERE IT WAS 400 TO 450. THIS PUTS MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA IN A HIGH RISK OF WILDFIRES EXCEPT FOR GLADES, HENDRY AND COLLIER COUNTIES WHICH IS UNDER A MODERATE RISK OF WILDFIRES. RESPONSE/ACTIONS... A BURN BAN IS 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 STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH SOUTH FLORIDA THIS WEEKEND FOLLOWED BY HIGH PRESSURE FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCES NORTH OF THE COLD FRONT WILL RESULT IN SOME SHOWERS AFFECTING SOUTH FLORIDA THIS WEEKEND, FOLLOWED BY DRY WEATHER EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER CALLS FOR AN ENHANCED LIKELIHOOD OF NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL THROUGH MID-MARCH. THE LONG TERM OUTLOOK FOR THE MARCH TO MAY PERIOD IS FOR AN ENHANCED LIKELIHOOD OF BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL. THE NEXT UPDATE TO THIS DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE AROUND THE MIDDLE OF MARCH, UNLESS CONDITIONS CHANGE BEFORE THAT TIME. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND UPDATES. $$ BAXTER/MOLLEDA