Drought — Inland Palm Beach County, Florida

2011-01-01 to 2011-01-31 · Inland Palm Beach County, Florida

Event narrative

Rainfall totals in January were near to below normal over most areas, resulting in the continuation of severe drought (D2) conditions across the Lake Okeechobee area. Rainfall deficits since October over these areas were in the 3 to 6 inch range. Most wells across the area were running at 10 to 30 percent of normal water levels. The level of Lake Okeechobee remained steady at about 12.5 feet, which is 2.2 feet below normal. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) was in the 450 to 550 range, which reflects a moderate fire danger and low soil moisture values.

Wider weather episode

Continued dry weather in January, coupled with long-term dryness going back to the previous summer, led to the expansion of severe drought conditions over South Florida.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 276895. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.