South Polk and Ridge Entering Drought Conditions With No Rain Forecast

Courtesy NIDIS

Southern and eastern Polk County are already experiencing drier-than-normal soil conditions with no rain in the long-term forecast.

The southern portions of Polk County and much of the Lake Wales Ridge are expected to endure worsening drought conditions over the next month, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).

Long-term models and forecasts are predicting little to no rain for the area. The warning comes on the heels of a very dry December and limited January rainfall. One brief outburst of rain between January 18 and 22 left between an inch and two inches of rain across most of the area, but that was insufficient to break the long-term trend.

Ironically, a swath of central Polk County is showing near-normal soil conditions after receiving several rounds of localized rain.

The NIDIS, a service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), uses a variety of indicators, including stream flows and soil moisture monitors, to detect localized soil conditions.

Courtesy NIDIS

The various indicators monitored by the NIDIS showing local conditions are all leaning toward emerging drought conditions.

Central Florida normally experiences dry conditions during the spring months, while more than half of our annual rains fall during the summer monsoon between June 1 and September 30. Springtime fires have been a recurrent concern, and Florida's Forest Service officials are hopeful that they won't be called to battle wildfires again this year.