Dust off your umbrellas: Central Florida may see some rain this weekend
After one of the driest Aprils on record — with just over a third of an inch of rain for the entire month — Orlando residents who have grieved over their brown lawns and wilted gardens are about to get a dose of relief: It's going to rain, at least a little bit, this weekend.
According to the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Orlando has a 30% chance of showers on Saturday and 60% for Sunday afternoon through Monday evening. Some areas could see more than half an inch.
The cloudy, rainy skies will be part of a storm system moving eastward Saturday across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia then dipping into Florida.
'That's going to push moisture into the Florida peninsula,' said Melissa Watson, a meteorologist with the weather service. 'But unfortunately not everyone will receive rain. It will be spotty.'
Even so, area homeowners would likely prefer some rain over none after watching gardens and lawns wilt and dry last month.
'Oh, I'm glad,' said Victoria Bruce as she stopped to take a break Thursday while walking at Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs. 'I almost forgot what rain looks like … My yard and plants will be happy.'
April in Central Florida is typically considered the cruelest time of year for thirsty vegetation as it's one of the driest months. That was especially true this year.
Last month, Orlando received 0.37 inches of rain. That's 2.21 inches less than the normal 2.58 inches — making it the 12th driest April in Orlando's history according to records going back 133 years.
The city's driest April was in 1896 when there was no rainfall at all. However, April 2017 was drier than last month when Orlando saw just a trace — an amount so small it couldn't be recorded.
Lack of significant rain this year — along with higher-than-normal temperatures and breezy days — caused Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties to issue burn bans that prohibit lighting fires outdoors. The bans are automatically activated by Florida counties whenever the Keetch-Byram Drought Index — a scale that measures dryness of soil — reaches or exceeds 500.
According to the index as of Thursday, Lake had a reading of 611 followed by Volusia with 593, Seminole at 579, Orange with 576 and Osceola at 528.
Dry springs also bring threats of wildfires. As of Thursday, 85 wildfires burned across Florida scorching nearly 3,200 acres, according to the Florida Forest Service. However, most of those were contained including a one-acre brush fire in east Orange County.
In 1998, the region had such severe drought conditions it led to the so-called Florida Firestorm. At that time, widespread wildfires burned hundreds of structures and canceled outdoor events including Fourth of July celebrations.
Much of Lake, Orange and Seminole were experiencing severe drought conditions while stretches of northern Lake and Volusia were under extreme drought, as of early Tuesday and the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Drought Monitor.
But long-range weather models show dry-as-a-bone conditions are not forecast to last long.
According to the U.S. Center for Climate Prediction there's a 50% chance of above-normal rainfall for Central Florida through May 15.
Even so, this weekend's rain won't put much of a dent in the region's drought conditions. So far, Orlando has received slightly over 4 inches this year — 6.11 inches below normal. And Central Florida's wet season typically doesn't start until May 27.
Despite anticipated rain, don't expect much of a cooldown. Central Florida temperatures are forecast to be slightly above normal this weekend, according to the weather service.
On Saturday, the thermometer is expected to climb to 89 degrees then drop to 69 overnight. Sunday's highs should reach 87 before dipping to 69 at night. Temperatures Monday are expected to climb to 86 with cloudy skies and sink to 68 at night. On Tuesday, Central Florida will have mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 80s then drop to 69 overnight.
Normal temperatures in May for Orlando are highs in the upper 80s and lows in the upper 60s.
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