Drought in Metro Palm Beach County, Florida

Lack of significant rainfall over the previous 3 months led to the development of severe drought (D2) conditions over metro Palm Beach County which begin mid-February. Less than 5 inches of rain was measured in many areas throughout the winter. This was approximately 40% of the normal value for that time period. Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) was over 600 across the area. When the KBDI is over 600, this is often associated with more severe drought and increased wildfire occurrence.

Prolonged periods of dry weather across much of South Florida during the winter months led to the development of severe drought conditions by the end of February. The West Palm Beach climate site was 3.47 below normal total rainfall (6.10) for the first two months of the year.