Drought

A Charlotte Harbor-based member of the national estuary program will host a summit later this month designed to expand the region’s ability to prepare for and recover from climate change

Recent rains lead to significant drought improvement

Enough rain fell during the end of May and beginning of June across the southern portion of the Florida peninsula to significantly lower the drought conditions — except for Southwest Florida including the Everglades, which remain in "extreme drought" according to the U.S. Drought Monitor

Those using water from the Island Water Association for irrigation on Sanibel and Captiva are being asked to adhere to approved local watering schedules.The IWA issued a caution that ongoing dry weather and increased turf and landscape replanting related to redevelopment activity have created extremely high irrigation demands.

Showers and thunderstorms swept across Lee and Collier counties, with four or more inches of rain. Other areas didn’t get enough rain to do much more than dampen the landscape. Southwest Florida’s drought is not yet over.

It’s a surge in dryness throughout the area. All of Southwest Florida is under serious drought conditions, while three counties have entered severe warning.

More than 100 wildfires were burning throughout Florida at the end of April, 14 million state residents are gripped by drought, and hurricane season's coming.

The drought is showing signs of expansion across the Panhandle, the only area that is not currently experiencing a drought. At the same time, other parts of the Peninsula have received only a fraction of the average rainfall so far this year—time to conserve water even more.

About 60 percent of Florida is experiencing a drought, with the worst one affecting South Florida and worsening.

Conditions for a burn ban have been met; Lee County will continue to monitor conditions.