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
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