This week's latest drought monitor shows a large expansion of an "extreme" drought, making it the worst drought for the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast in 24 years.
The extreme drought (shaded in red) now covers every county in Southwest Florida except for far northeast Glades County.
Since the beginning of the year, most areas are running a rainfall deficit of 4 to 6 inches.
The drought situation looks much worse when considering our rain deficit since the beginning of the dry season (Oct. 15), with many neighborhoods 7 to 10 inches below average in rainfall.
The good news is we have some help on the way, but likely not until early next week when more tropical moisture is forecast to arrive in Southwest Florida.
The latest rain projections through the next seven days show as much as 2 to 3 inches falling over the Gulf Coast, with most of it coming Monday and Tuesday.
It's important to remember that burn bans are in place for every county in Southwest Florida until further notice.
The rainy season officially begins May 15, but that's just an average start date and doesn't always mean we can expect to see our daily afternoon storms on that day.
Rainy season tends to get in full swing by June as our humidity rises and tropical moisture returns on a more permanent basis.
On May 1, new water regulations went into effect in Cape Coral amid the drought conditions.
Count on the Gulf Coast Storm Team to keep you updated on the worsening drought situation and how much rain is on the way next week.
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