How this week’s rain helped the recent dry conditions

It was a wet week across the area, but the gloomy conditions actually lowered the threat of a drought across the area.

Things were not looking good earlier in the month. Almost all of central Florida was considered abnormally dry in the weekly drought monitor issued by National Drought Mitigation Center.

Dry conditions in Florida can result in a number of problems.

From water restrictions in communities to large brushfires that threaten homes, a spring drought in Florida can become serious business.

That’s why the heavy rain earlier this week was so beneficial to the area.

A cold front turned stationary across the peninsula last weekend, resulting in periods of moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms.

A widespread 2-4″ of rain fell throughout the region, with over 5″ in parts of Osceola County.

The Orlando International Airport received 3.22″ during this stretch, including a record-setting 2.52″ on Tuesday.

This rainfall lifted the total for April to 4.92″, almost three inches above average.

And the heavy rain not only stopped a drought from developing, it improved the already dry conditions.

This week’s drought monitor now shows just a small part of the area is considered abnormally dry.

This area may be removed next week as rainfall past Tuesday morning is not included in drought calculations each week.

The complete shutdown of a developing drought is great news for the region, and it provides numerous benefits.

Retention pond levels will increase, and foliage will become “green” again. In addition, the heavy rainfall will reduce the threat of brushfires over the next few weeks.

Unfortunately, this improvement could be short-term. With the area still in dry season and the high sun angle in late April, a couple of weeks without more rainfall could slide us back to abnormally dry conditions.

But for now, enjoy the fact that your grass and shrubs have become vibrant again.