Drought in Inland Collier County, Florida

Precipitation totals since February were only at 25 percent of normal levels over a large portion of the Everglades and Big Cypress Reserve in eastern Collier County, with a few spots near 10% of normal in the far eastern portion of the county. Water levels at several reporting stations in the Big Cypress were at near historically low levels.

These very dry conditions contributed to several lightning-triggered wildfires in the Big Cypress on April 10th, including the Vulture and Buzzard fires, and the Caracara fire reported on April 17th. These fires eventually became part of the Avian Complex which encompassed about 30,000 acres through the end of April.

Persistent dry weather during the late winter and early spring led to the development of severe drought conditions from northern and central Miami-Dade County through western Broward County to eastern Collier and far southwestern Palm Beach counties.