With the official start to rainy season still two weeks away, our drought situation is looking more dire across Southwest Florida based on the latest drought monitor released Thursday.
An extreme drought (shaded in red) has now expanded to include all of Collier County and southeastern Lee County. Communities like Bonita Springs, Lehigh Acres, Naples, Golden Gate and Immokalee are in the most desperate need for rain.
A severe drought (shaded in orange) covers the rest of the Southwest Florida, including Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and Arcadia.
Unfortunately, the few showers we saw earlier in the week didn't offer much relief, and most areas are running a rain deficit of 5-6 inches since the beginning of the year.
The last time we experienced an extreme drought in late April to early May was back in 2017.
Looking ahead, rain prospects continue to look pretty slim through Saturday, with a slight uptick in rain chances coming Sunday into Monday.
The latest rain projections through the next seven days show between one-tenth of an inch to a quarter inch for most of Southwest Florida. The areas most likely to see scattered rain are across interior parts of the peninsula near Lake Okeechobee.
Our fire danger will remain very high until we make the transition into rainy season, so it's important to be vigilant and avoid any unauthorized burning.
Burn bans are in place for every county in Southwest Florida until further notice.
Count on the Gulf Coast Storm Team to keep you updated on the drought situation and when more rain could be on the way.
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