Just a week ago, Bay News 9 ran an article stating Tampa Bay was on track for the driest May ever. It had been 21 days since the last measurable rainfall, which measured a paltry .01 inches. Residents were bemoaning the state of their lawns and flower gardens, and every day there was an article about the sad state of the reservoir or river or desalination plant.
Well, today Tampa International Airport has broken the rainfall record for this day in May - a record stretching back to 1911. Granted, it's only gotten about 1.25", but considering May is part of the dry season, this is a pretty outstanding number.
By our own somewhat unscientific measurements (we're still working out the right placement of our rain gauge), we've gotten about 3 - 4 inches of rain in My Florida Backyard over the last week. We've had rain 5 out of 7 days, and our rain barrel is full to overflowing.
Does this mean the drought is over? The answer is a resounding "NO!". Tampa Bay has had below average rainfall for the past 3 years, so we have a long way to go to catch up. Still, my flowers are getting good long drinks, and the Hillsborough River was up almost 8 inches the other day, so we're making good progress.
Let's hope for more of the same in the weeks and months ahead. Soft summer rains and lovely rumbling thunderstorms from now till October would make us very happy. (There's no need to send any hurricanes our way, though!)
*Well, a week, but that's not the title of the song.
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