#44 Postby MiamiensisWx » Wed Apr 25, 2007 2:51 pm
Great points, Downdraft. Many long-term Florida droughts have abated due to heavy precipitation from tropical storms. Meso boundaries, surface fronts, and developing surface lows that approach the peninsula during the spring and summer months can also bring widespread rainfall. During the previous month, a broken squall line formed under weak divergence (and surface convergence) ahead of a surface front (and mid-level trough) and brought light to moderate precipitation across most of south Florida. This relief cut the KBDI index across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties by 50 percent. Despite the rainfall, this event only reduced dry conditions in the surface layers of the soil. True drought relief must be a prolonged event, and passing systems do not stunt ongoing dry situations. In addition, the areas that needed relief (the Lake Okeechobee and interior regions) received very little precipitation. Even if precipitation was excessive, the effects on overall drought conditions are usually localized (or marginal). Soil conditions near the surface quickly return to a drier state; thus, drought conditions have continued across south Florida.
Another important factor is the evolution of the paths of tropical waves. Weak surface features or easterly waves (or features associated with tropical waves) can bring consistent precipitation to southeast Florida. If surface ridging persists in the western Atlantic, tropical waves (or other low-level features) can move westward into Florida. Homegrown tropical development in the Bahamas can produce widespread rainfall, as evidenced in 2005 by the passage of Category 1 Katrina in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Unfortunately, the end results are widespread power outages and extensive wind damages.
This recent drought event underscores the challenges of sustaining the excessive population growth in the state of Florida. Better water management practices are a necessity but the current powers in charge (South Florida Water Management District and other agencies) unfortunately have compounded the situation for many years. The pressures of development have been worsened by inefficient or wasteful management strategies.
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