Lack of rain can put a damper on South Florida

Being drenched in sunlight rather than rain might be nice for tanning and outdoor dining. But a lack of the wet stuff has its drawbacks, and South Florida has been generally parched lately.

Some parts of the region are still experiencing moderate drought conditions despite widespread showers and some thunderstorms on Friday, the National Weather Service said.

"One day of rain doesn't really help the drought," said meteorologist Steven Ippoliti. "It evaporates pretty quick and doesn't soak into the ground enough."

Here are some of the impacts of a lack of rain.

Mosquitoes: A potentially dangerous variety of the nasty little biters "becomes more apparent" during dry sunny days, said Gary Goode, of the Palm Beach County Mosquito Control Division. Called container mosquitoes, they don't need much water to thrive and they can carry dengue fever. "They're not the most aggressive mosquitoes, but they are a nuisance," he said.

Fish: When skies are sunny, some species of fish are hard to catch, said "Capt. Danny" Barrow, of Silver Lining Fishing Charters in Lantana. "Tuna fish have giant eyeballs, and their eyes pull in a lot of light," he said. "So when it's a bright sunny day, they to tend to run deeper.''

Wildfires: Wildfire season is likely to "ratchet-up" quickly, as the ground is drying out and vegetation is becoming kindling, said Scott Peterich, spokesman for the Florida Forest Service. Miami-Dade already has seen several fires. "We're at the point where it doesn't take much to get a fire going," he said.

Air quality: A lack of rain doesn't directly result in lower air quality. However, if wildfires break out, wind carries their ashes and smoke over populated areas, said Maribel Feliciano, of the Broward County Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department.

Agriculture: Some farms and nurseries, particularly those that grow lettuce, have already been forced to increase irrigation and "that adds to their costs," said Arthur Kirstein, of the Palm Beach County and University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service.

Water management: Because of year-round restrictions, the lack of rain has yet to endanger water supplies, said Randy Smith of the South Florida Water Management District. However, the dry season has three months to go and "we strongly urge everyone to continue with conservation because that's what always get us through these periods."

kkaye@tribune.com or 954-572-2085

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/hurricane/storm-center-blog/fl-lack-of-rain-20130218,0,1798150.story?track=rss

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