Nation free of extreme drought after Florida deluge.
0 Florida was holding the nation back from being free for the first time in seven years of extreme drought, but no longer.
It’s the first time since May 2010 that the most dire drought categories — extreme and exceptional — have not appeared on the weekly report from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
The heaviest rains this week were Tuesday through Wednesday.
“The first six to seven days of June have pretty much given us the amount of rain that we would expect for the entire month.” A 72-hour rainfall total ending Thursday at 11:30 a.m. shows as much as 20 inches falling in an area west Boca Raton, 10.3 inches in Lantana, and 8.2 inches in Boynton Beach.
The average rainfall for the 16-county region managed by the South Florida Water Management District was 9.14 inches for the month, which is 7.2 inches above what’s normal.
This week, 76 percent of the state had no drought.
Also, now fizzled Tropical Storm Beatrice, which formed in the Pacific, pumped extra moist air toward the state.
Palm Beach County’s Mosquito Control Division is expecting a bump in activity following the wet weather.
“It’s going to be pretty busy for a few weeks and then peter out,” Reisinger said.