Weeks before June 1, there is already tropical moisture
May being the start of “Thunderstorm season” in Florida is nothing new. Floridians have long been used to possible thunderstorms being a potential part of any day, no matter how sunny and cloudless it may begin. However, while Florida is back in the usual mix of sun and thundershowers, the current weather pattern might be a sign of caution to Sunshine Staters.
The National Weather Service said on their Facebook page on Wednesday that the storms raging throughout the east coast this week can be attributed to a clash between a stationary front and tropical moisture from the Gulf. The tropical moisture was not quite enough to form a named storm, but the very phrase tropical moisture is reminiscent of the large-scale storms that are always somewhere in the mind of the coastal south.
Through the weekend, the rain and storms are expected to continue, with the National Weather Service suggesting that over two inches of rain could fall along Florida’s east coast by Sunday night. While the rain is much-needed after a particularly dry start to 2018, be cautious. The entire state should be prepared for severe rain conditions that could bring flooding in places.
Despite all the rain in the forecast, much of south Florida is under drought or near-drought conditions, according to the US Drought Portal at drought.gov. The lack of water is not particularly severe across the state, but below-average rainfall to this point in the year has had an impact.
It is not yet June 1–the official start of Hurricane Season–but with tropical weather beginning already there is another sign that 2018 could be a busy year for tropical storms and hurricanes. After the busiest hurricane season on record in 2017, science has suggested that 2018 could be just as bad if not worse for tropical weather.