Drought — Inland Collier County, Florida

2017-04-01 to 2017-04-30 · Inland Collier County, Florida

Event narrative

Severe drought (D2) conditions expanded across all of Inland Collier County as the month progressed. Total monthly rainfall ranged between 0.5 and 2 inches. A burn ban was in effect for the entire county. Two large wildfires sparked in the Golden Gate Estates area, burning thousands of acres and causing over $3 million in damage.

Wider weather episode

Continued dry weather and below normal precipitation going back to late 2016 led to severe drought conditions across Southwest Florida. A total of 136 new fires were reported by the Florida Forest Service, resulting in 19,543 acres burned. Crop production slowed as a result of the very dry conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 695149. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.