May 18, 2009

Rainy season arrives early in Southwest Florida

If you live in Lehigh Acres where there have been scattered showers for the past week or so in one part or another of the vastly large community, you already know that the "rainy season" for Southwest Florida has probably begun.

Now weather forecasters are making it official. They say the rainy season has arrived early by a few weeks.

According to the National Weather Service, Florida's dry season has come to an end earlier than it has in the past.

Those who check the water levels at Lake Okeechobee say that's good news. Apparently the levels of water had been so low that area farmers had been forced to use less water for their crops. As of a few days ago, Lee County had a deficit of about eight inches in water in the ground.

The rainy season usually begins around the first week of June. If the National Weather Bureau is correct, then the area can count on warm and humid days with gathering scattered thunderstorms and rain in the early afternoons to the end of the day.

Because of the recent rains, lawns are turning green again and the fire index levels in Lee County have dropped to the 400 to 200 numbers. A month ago, they were in the 700 range, which was in the high end of the dangerous zone.

Sunday's weather forecast for areas of Lee County: the possibility of afternoon and early evening thunderstorms and showers. It looks the same for the rest of the week, if you believe what the TV weather forecasters are saying.

Reported by Lehigh Acres Citizen May 17, 2009

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