This time last year, Tampa Bay was enduring one of Florida’s worst droughts.
• • • During the winter months, when rain is sporadic and river levels drop, the utility that manages the bay area’s drinking water supply leans on its reservoir.
&icast_location=USFL0481 target="_blank">>>EXTENDED FORECAST:> The 10-day outlook for the Tampa Bay area>> That often happens well into the summer.
During last year’s drought, the reservoir fell to about 5 billion gallons.
>>>FROM 2017:> More than 100 wildfires scorch Florida, a sign of how dry we are>> Lightning strikes can ignite the dry ground, leading to wildfires.
"We’ve not seen the lightning (fires) that we had last year," she said.
"We’ll dry up again," Tear said.
In Florida, the rain has always been a double-edged sword.
That’s because heavy rains after drought can lead to sinkholes.
And wet ground makes it hard for the Forest Service to starve fires of fuel through mitigation.