Central Florida Faces Intensified Drought Amid Unseasonable Cold Temperatures

ORLANDO, Fla. – In the wake of a recent cold snap that swept through the area, there were several noteworthy developments that did not receive widespread attention. Among these were brush fires that flared up over the weekend in several locations, fueled by the potent mix of strong winds and dry conditions accompanying the arctic weather front.

Fortunately, these fires have been effectively contained and extinguished. However, there’s an important aspect to consider moving forward. Take a moment to observe your own lawn and garden. How does the grass appear? What about the nearby trees?

If your situation mirrors mine, you might notice your surroundings beginning to resemble the arid landscapes of Tucson, Arizona. This drying trend is intensifying as we remain significantly below the average rainfall levels expected for Central Florida.

The latest drought update paints a concerning picture, with several counties in our viewing area now classified under extreme drought conditions due to the persistent lack of rain.

As of the most recent drought update, a few of our own viewing counties are now seeing extreme drought conditions as a result of the scarcity of rain.

With each of these upcoming frontal events, winds tend to always get cranking immediately after it comes across us. Any little spark or whisper of an ember is going to ignite a brush fire in a moments notice.

We still have a good stretch of time before spring settles in and we perhaps start to see more recurring periods of forecasted rainfall for the Florida peninsula. But in the meantime, the only chance we’re tracking is through the night on Wednesday into Thursday morning.

As that wraps up, accumulation is not going to be anything spectacular. In fact, I’d bet a lot of you won’t even notice the rain at all.

Our drought monitor updates every Thursday, and I’m anxious to see what it unveils as we continue through the month of February. If you rewind back a couple months, I did forecast drought and fire risks becoming a more talked on headline as we got deeper into the winter.