Drought in Inland Broward County, Florida

Rainfall totals in January were near to below normal over most of southeast Florida. This resulted in the expansion of severe drought (D2) conditions over all of Palm Beach County and inland sections of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Rainfall deficits since October over these areas ranged anywhere from 8 to 11 inches. Most wells across the area were running at around 10 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 500 to 600 range, which reflects a high fire danger and low soil moisture values.

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.