Don't be fooled by a storm or two. Several Florida counties seeing drought conditions
Recent rains, not to mention a tornado, in Florida haven't changed the fact that several counties are experiencing drought conditions, especially in South Florida.
Florida's fire season is closely associated with the state's dry season, with increased activity beginning in January and peaking in May and June, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
As of Feb. 14, there are 17 Florida counties with a drought index over 500, which indicates drought and increased fire danger, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
There are 50 active wildfires across the state as of Friday, Feb. 14, burning about 806 acres, the Florida Forest Service said.
Conditions across much of Florida range from abnormally dry to severe drought, with the worst conditions stretching from Palm Beach County into Hendry County.
Sarasota County is under a burn ban, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Burning of yard debris is always prohibited in these counties:
Duval
Hillsborough
Orange
Pinellas
Lack of rainfall and above-normal temperatures are factors for deteriorating conditions in Florida, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
"Abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions now stretch south of the I-10 corridor through much of the Peninsula with a localized area of severe droughtconditions now introduced south of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach and Hendry counties," FDEM said.
Recent rains, along with rainfall expected into next week, will be reflected when a new drought index is issued next week.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index average for Florida is 370 on a scale from 0 (very wet) to 800 (very dry), affecting 10.5 million residents.
There are 17 Florida counties with an average drought index over 500, which means there is drought and an increased risk of fire danger:
Broward: 613
Charlotte: 561
Collier: 561
DeSoto: 562
Glades: 621
Hardee: 539
Hendry: 605
Hernando: 516
Highlands: 568
Lee: 565
Manatee: 562
Martin: 575
Miami-Dade: 571
Okeechobee: 523
Palm Beach: 627
Pasco: 536
Sarasota: 597
See the latest conditions by county at Drought.gov, part of the National Integrated Drought Information System.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index numbers are used by the Florida Forest Service to indicate how dry the soil, along with surface fuel. High numbers are associated with severe wildfire outbreaks.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services explained what the numbers mean:
KBDI 0-200: Soil moisture and large class fuel moistures are high and do not contribute much to fire intensity. This is typical of spring dormant season following winter precipitation.
KBDI 200-400: Typical of late spring, early growing season. Lower litter and duff layers are drying and beginning to contribute to fire intensity.
KBDI 400-600: Typical of late summer, early fall. Lower litter and duff layers actively contribute to fire intensity and will burn actively.
Duff is a layer of partially decayed organic material that builds up on forest floors.
KBDI 600-800: Often associated with more severe drought with increased wildfire occurrence. Intense, deep burning fires with significant downwind spotting can be expected. Live fuels can also be expected to burn actively at these levels.
From Jan. 1 through Feb. 9, 3,839 acres have burned in Florida in 383 wildfires, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Drought conditions are expected to continue and spread from coast to coast across South and Southwest Florida in February.
Across most of the remainder of the state, drought conditions are expected to develop, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
NOAA's seasonal precipitation outlook for Florida for February through April 2025 is predicting 40% to 50% below normal precipitation for most of the state.
For the western Panhandle, the outlook for precipitation is slightly better, with chances at 33% to 40% for below-normal precipitation for the same time period.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida drought, fire danger: What counties are most impacted
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
County bans sale, use of some fireworks in unincorporated areas for July Fourth
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso County Commissioners Court voted on Monday, June 9 to prohibit the sale and use of some fireworks in the unincorporated areas of the County for the July Fourth season. County commissioners voted to prohibit the sale and use of fireworks classified as 'skyrockets with sticks' and 'missiles with fins,' commonly known as 'sticks and fins,' in the unincorporated areas of El Paso County. Unincorporated areas include parts of the County that are outside city limits and are not governed by municipal governments such as those of El Paso, Socorro, Horizon City, or San Elizario. El Paso County commissioners to look at possibly banning some types of fireworks 'This targeted restriction was adopted as a precautionary measure in response to ongoing extremely dry conditions across the region. According to the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), El Paso County has reached a level of 710, which indicates elevated fire risk and meets the threshold for implementing restrictions,' the Countuy said. County officials said this is not a blanket ban on fireworks. Many types of legal fireworks remain permitted, allowing residents to continue celebrating the holiday with family and friends – safely and responsibly. 'The (Commissioners) Court acknowledges that these decisions can impact local small businesses that rely on seasonal fireworks sales, and the decision to implement restrictions was not made lightly. County officials stressed that public safety remains the top priority, but they remain mindful of the challenges that small business owners face during this critical sales period,' the County said in its news release. The Commissioners Court urges residents and vendors to exercise caution and good judgment during the Fourth of July season, emphasizing that personal responsibility is key to preventing dangerous fire incidents and protecting the community, the County said in its news release. 'This includes keeping our neighborhoods free of debris and trash that may accumulate during the 4th of July festivities,' the County said in its news release. The legal fireworks sale period is June 24 through midnight on July Fourth. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
With record-breaking snowmelt, is the western US at risk for wildfires like those in Canada?
DENVER – A rapid snowmelt across the western United States is setting records for how quickly the frozen precipitation is disappearing and also raising alarms about future wildfire activity. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, many mountainous regions in states such as Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico saw near- to above-average snowfall, but now many of the same basins are experiencing drought. The rapid loss of snowpack, combined with elevated evaporation rates, can quickly dry out soils and vegetation, creating ideal conditions for wildfires. "Snowmelt this time of year is common, but such rapid melt rates are not normal," experts with NIDIS stated. "In some instances, above-normal temperatures such as these can cause snow to sublimate (transition from a solid to a gas) and reduce runoff into streams and reservoirs." Examples of snowless mountains include Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado and Baldy Mountain in Arizona. Canadian Wildfires Bring Poor Air Quality, Hazy Skies, Red Sunsets Across Central, Eastern U.s. Large sections of Canada have also seen a shorter snowmelt period, which has coincided with an uptick in wildfire activity. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, more than 200 wildfires continue to burn across the country, with nearly 6.4 million acres destroyed since the beginning of the year. While the figures appear to be staggering, they are still far short of 2023, when some 37 million acres burned, setting records for the country's worst fire season on record. The previous record-breaking season led to significant smoke infiltration of the U.S., impacting air quality readings for millions of residents across North America. Similar plumes of smoke have been observed during recent weeks, but due to the jet stream, most of the particles have remained elevated well above the surface. A pattern shift would undoubtedly allow more of the hazardous air to reach the surface, leading to health concerns in addition to visibility issues. With a lack of snow and fire dangers increasing across the western U.S., it might only be a matter of time before firefighters are racing to contain wildfires from the Desert Southwest to the Northern Rockies. Because of the general west-to-east wind flow across the U.S., any large wildfire that pops up in the West naturally sends smoke eastward, potentially impacting a large chunk of the country. Before And After Images Show The Extent Of Wildfire Damage Around Los Angeles So far, the U.S. has been experiencing only an average wildfire season, but some of the worst months are still ahead. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 1.2 million acres have burned in 2025, which is below last year's figure, which was in excess of 2 million through the first five months of the year. Outside of Florida, most counties facing drought conditions are in the western U.S., with nearly a third of the nation officially in significant deficit, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. As the calendar year heads deeper into summer, forecasters expect drought conditions to expand in many locations west of the Mississippi River, including in the Northern Plains and throughout article source: With record-breaking snowmelt, is the western US at risk for wildfires like those in Canada?
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
New Mexico faces increased fire danger in June, after moist end to May
Thunderheads build over the Organ Mountains in the afternoon of Tuesday August, 1, 2023. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) New Mexico's relatively cool and moist weather so far this spring will dry and warm up in coming weeks, putting fire managers and forecasters on high alert for wildfires before the start of the seasonal monsoon rains this summer. This year's low snowpack has already put much of the state in drought conditions, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently declared a state of emergency and additional actions to prevent fires over the coming weeks. Recent rains around the state offer some relief, as May and June typically emerge as some of the driest months, said George Ducker, a wildfire prevention and spokesperson at the New Mexico Forestry Division. But the projected warm temperatures through the next several weeks could mean the recent spouting of new plants could aggravate the problem, he said. 'We could see a substantial dry up of these flashy fuels, the grasses and even shrubs,' Ducker said. 'Then, if you get a start, get a little bit of wind — there would be more fuel to burn.' The recent rains did not herald the start of the monsoon, the seasonal tropical patterns that provide Arizona and New Mexico with critical moisture, said Andrea Bair, a forecaster with the National Weather Service Western Region based in Salt Lake City, at a National Integrated Drought Information System presentation Tuesday. Rather, she said monsoons are expected to start in mid-June and could be stronger than past years, but hot temperatures will continue to dry out the soils and stress plants across much of the Southwestern U.S. 'The drought looks to continue throughout the season and the monthly outlook forecasts,' she said. 'So not a lot of relief is expected.' The rains lessened the acute risks of fire in the Southwest, said Jim Wallmann, a senior forecaster for the National Interagency Coordination Center Predictive Services. But other parts of the county are seeing wildfires 'extremely early' in the fire season, he said, noting the 1,000-acre Banana Lake fire in Montana. 'We're having to spread our resources over a much greater footprint of the country,' Wallmann said. 'That could affect how big a fire gets in California, if we're stretched and can't send everything to California while it's burning; we'll be on fires burning everywhere else.' Ducker said the concerns about availability for resources to fight wildfires is 'a bridge we'll cross when we come to it,' and said the state is working to be prepared. 'We have the resources to be able to jump on fires as they start,' Ducker said. Our federal partners seem to be in the same place where they're ready to respond, so right now we're just waiting for June to see what it shows us.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
