ORLANDO, Fla. – The roller coaster temperatures have really stolen the show here in Florida!
It doesn’t help at all when Mother Nature refuses to decide exactly what season she wants to keep us under for more than two or three days at a time.
This week we’re already pushing to reach, if not surpass, high temperature records for the early portions of January as the warmest portion of the day brings along highs in the low-to-mid 80s.
That’s not something you typically see in January. Yes, I recognize this is the Sunshine State, but when you take a deep look at what our weather should normally act like at this point on the calendar – this is far from it.
Now on top of the up and down, back and forth, forward and backward temperature swings there’s another aspect of the rocky slope called a Florida winter I don’t want you to forget about.
The drought.
Dry season has taken hold and continues to dominate. We’ve had some sprinkles and sprays of rain over the last month and some change, but not nearly enough for any noticeable change. A lot of you probably haven’t seen any despite the last couple of cold fronts having worked through.
Our next drought monitor update comes Thursday, but even with last week’s update you can immediately see the glaring issue based on the colors present on the board.
Florida is a massive agriculture state. We’re also a state that relies heavily on rainfall for sustaining the agriculture industry, let alone providing numerous towns and cities with drinking water.
Aquifers are one of Florida’s number one resources throughout the state. The less water we get, the more dry our water table becomes, resulting in aquifers becoming strained to keep any traceable water in stock.
These same aquifers also supply residential consumers and landscapers with the critical resource they need to not only maintain their quality of life but make a living.
We’re also at the time of year where - snowbirds - are running rampant. I say that gently by the way! 😊
Where the problem lies is the increased strain on an already dwindling resource. More people, means a higher demand for water.
Now, by a show of hands, who can tell me what comes immediately following a cold front? It has to do with the cold air mass itself, as it’s caused by the movement of this dome of colder temperatures as it slides through our area.
The wind.
Wildfire dangers are growing. We haven’t had much in the way of wind in recent days, and high pressure sitting overhead has resulted in back to back morning fog outbreaks. But the next powerful front to come through will indeed get our winds cranking once again.
Wind and dry brush out there are the perfect ingredients to trigger a brush or wildfire.
Finally, we can’t leave our animal friends out of the loop. If you’re native to Florida or have lived here for a little bit of time now, Florida is essentially limestone and swamp. Sure we have the metro areas, the airports, the attractions, the long stretches of interstate.
But beneath all this is primarily swampland, water, and more swamp. The lack of substantial rain can harm our natural ecosystems. This is why you see gators wandering across your lawn, or that bear lurking at your back door.
The growth our state is seeing, the deforestation to provide homes and buildings for our increasing population, combined with drying out natural environments will inevitably result in these weird instances of animal migration occurring in your area.
I promise you I never want to sound alarmist, but it is a big deal we should be aware of.
The next few weeks, if not the next couple of months of winter time, don’t promise much in the rainfall department. Our established La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific and the configuration of our jet stream have already shown us this.