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CoCoRaHS
FLORIDA
A Community Collaborative
Rain, Hail & Snow Network
| | | Greetings from the Coordinators, | | Welcome to the summer edition of our quarterly newsletter. In this issue, we share highlights from the network during the past three months, discuss spring drought development and impacts, take a look at what to expect for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, and what's in store for the remainder of the summer. | | | |
This spring (March-May) became the 9th-warmest spring on record for Florida (131 years), with seasonal average temperature departures generally +1-3̊F across the state. Precipitation was mixed but overall spring precipitation was below normal. April 2025 ranked as the 10th-driest April on record for the state as a whole, and nearly all except 3% of the state was in some level of drought or abnormally dry as of early May. The rainy season began to kick in late May and most parts of the Peninsula have seen improvements in drought in recent weeks. With high heat and hit-and-miss storms, however, additional near-term drought improvements may be slow to occur.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter, and feel free to reach out to us with any news, photos, or if you have any questions. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the CoCoRaHS program. Have a great summer and stay safe!
Sincerely,
Emily Powell
epowell@coaps.fsu.edu
Ivetta Abramyan
ivetta.abramyan@fscj.edu
| | Florida CoCoRaHS Program Spring Highlights | | During spring 2025, from March 1st - May 31st, 55,249 reports were submitted through daily and multi-day reports by our Florida observers. There were 31 significant weather reports and 166 condition monitoring reports submitted during the months of March, April, and May. These reports provided near real-time data and post-event data and analysis for use by forecasters, drought monitoring, and other stakeholders across the state and region. | |
Spring Rainfall Deficits and Drought Impacts
The map below shows the rainfall departures from normal, in inches, from March 1 - May 31 using various station networks including CoCoRaHS, courtesy of the High Plains Regional Climate Center. Seasonal rainfall totals were generally below normal across the Peninsula and North-Central Florida, and near to above normal in parts of East-Central Florida, the Big Bend, and Panhandle. The greatest deficits can be seen across southern Florida.
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Lack of rainfall and above-normal temperatures led to decreasing soil moisture levels, low surface water levels, and increased wildfire activity over the past few months. Spring began with moderate (D1) to severe (D2) drought impacting the Florida Peninsula in March, and accumulating rainfall deficits worsened drought conditions particularly across parts of South Florida. April was especially dry, and the Florida Peninsula received only 5%-25% of normal precipitation for the month of April. Multiple reports of moderate to severely dry conditions were submitted by observers, indicating poor crop conditions, poor to very poor range conditions, and increased irrigation to maintain lawns and gardens. By the end of April, 21 county burn bans had been issued from Collier County north through Volusia County where the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) was above a 500 level threshold.
South Florida and the Everglades have been impacted by extreme drought. The map below shows the U.S. Drought Monitor designations at the peak of the spring drought, valid May 6, 2025. Nearly all but 3% of the state was experiencing some level of drought or abnormally dry conditions, and extreme drought (D3) affected 25% of the state. Airboat tours in the Everglades were forced to cease operations along secondary canals, and wildlife impacts included overcrowding in remaining water pockets and fish kills due to algae causing depleted oxygen levels.
| The CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring (CM) chart below shows that most reports submitted by CoCoRaHS observers in the state indicated dry conditions throughout the spring. This chart displays observers' reports of on-the-ground conditions each week as a percentage of the total number of reports submitted for that week. As the rainy season began to kick in late May and early June, reports of dry conditions began to taper off with a higher percentage of reports indicating wet and near normal conditions. | |
Condition Monitoring Reports Submitted by CoCoRaHS Observers in Florida
(February 25, 2025 - June 24, 2025)
| | Dry pastures and low ponds observed in Okeechobee along with supplemental feed and hay, submitted May 15, 2025 by A Triple J Ranch via Condition Monitoring Observer Report (CMOR). | |  | Dry fields and soils and poor pasture condition reported in Polk County, submitted May 6, 2025 by SMJones1229 via CMOR. | | |
Drought Improves but Long-Term Impacts Still Present
Recent rainfall and thunderstorms have led to drought improvement across the Peninsula, particularly along the west coast. As of June 24 (map below), roughly 10% of the state was in severe drought (D2), 29% of the state was in moderate drought (D1), and 19% was considered abnormally dry (D0), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Drought has worsened along the east coast which has been much drier, and extreme drought (D3) has been reintroduced in Palm Beach County. The second map below shows how drought designations have changed over the past month, reflecting areas where drought has improved (green) or worsened (yellow) from one month ago.
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Start of Rainy Season Brings Localized Heavy Rainfall and Flooding
During the overnight hours of June 8-9, northern Santa Rosa County in northwest Florida saw an isolated extreme rainfall event, with as much as 10+ inches of rain in a short period as a storm passed through the area. This 50- to 75-year storm event resulted in road closures and water rescues. A CoCoRaHS observer in Jay (SR-36) captured this isolated event with an observed 10.06 inches of rain (see maps below). Most other locations nearby saw less than an inch of rainfall. This is a great example of how localized rainfall can be! Thunderstorms have led to reports of flooding elsewhere in the state, including a round of heavy rain in mid-May which affected central and south Florida, with reports of street flooding in the Miami area.
| | The map above shows the daily CoCoRaHS observations submitted on June 9, 2025. An observer in northern Santa Rosa County measured 10.06 inches from a localized storm that led to major local flash flooding in and around the city of Jay. | | Map of 5-km gridded storm totals for June 8-9, 2025 from high resolution radar. The image shows a bullseye over northern Santa Rosa County where the storm rainfall maxima occurred. | | 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season Most Likely to be Above Average | | |
NOAA along with other leading groups that issue Atlantic hurricane season forecasts all agree that this Atlantic hurricane season is most likely to have above-average activity. NOAA forecasts a 60% chance for an above-average season, though it is not expected to be as active as recent years. They call for 13-19 named storms with at least 6 hurricanes and 3-5 major hurricanes. There is a 30% chance for a near normal season.
The main factors influencing this year's outlook include warm ocean temperatures in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, including the Main Development Region; below-average vertical wind shear with weaker easterly trade winds which support a favorable environment for storm development and intensification; ENSO-neutral conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean (or lack of El Niño) through peak hurricane season (August-October); and the potential for a more active West African Monsoon which also seeds storm development in the Atlantic Ocean.
Tropical Storm Andrea became the first named storm of the season on June 24, just a few days behind climatology. The storm was short-lived and did not affect land areas.
NOAA has issued improved forecasting and communication products for the current season, including more advanced tropical cyclone advisory products up to 72 hours before the arrival of tropical storm-force winds on land, inland watches and warnings on the cone graphics, and a new rip current risk map which will become available for active storms. Read more about these updates here.
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Spring Extremes Across Florida CoCoRaHS
Between 1 March 2025 and 31 May 2025:
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Highest seasonal rainfall total: 23.52" in Gonzalez, Escambia Co. (ES-15)
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Lowest seasonal rainfall total: 1.50" in Naples, Collier Co. (CR-77)
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Highest daily rainfall total: 7.85" reported on May 12 in Sebring, Highlands Co. (HL-30)
*based on stations with at least 90% completeness
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Significant Weather Reports
Between 1 March 2024 and 31 May 2025, there were:
- 31 total Significant Weather reports submitted, including:
- 1 report of unusual flooding
- 13 reports of minor flooding
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Observer Comment Corner
Observer comments are encouraged! Thanks to the many who regularly post comments with their reports. Comments provide valuable context to observations, which can be very helpful to those who later use the observations. Below are a select few of the comments shared during the past few months. We’ll continue to share your comments in these newsletters.
| | | 1. 17 March, De Land 4.5 NW, Volusia County (VL-3) - 0.32 inches:
"This day began overcast and windy. It remained mostly cloudy to overcast until the afternoon when we experienced a brief, light thunderstorm. The low today was 69, and the high was 82. The wind was mostly out of the SW with a gust of 20 mph." | | 2. 25 March, East Naples 2.0 ENE, Collier County (CR-75) - 0.00 inches:
"We need rain! Fire warnings all over Collier County here in Naples Florida." | | 3. 26 March, Key Largo 6.2 NE, Monroe County (MN-25) - 0.47 inches:
"This rain fell yesterday afternoon when the front passed between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. Wow! We needed it!" | | 4. 7 April, Lynn Haven 1.9 ENE (BY-28), Bay County - 1.58 inches:
"T-storms associated with a frontal passage and very intense rainfall from approximately 0645 to 0745 as evidenced by more than an inch and a half of rainfall in that period. There was street flooding and the retention pond behind our home quickly maxed out and started outflow to North Bay. There was light rain falling when I took this measurement and off and on showers are expected throughout the day." | | 5. 28 April, Inverness 4.7 WNW, Citrus County (CT-35) - 0.00 inches:
"Burn bans in effect for the entire area. VERY dry! Maybe some rain today late afternoon." | | 6. 30 April, Venice 4.2 ESE, Sarasota County (SS-102) - 0.48 inches:
"Much needed late afternoon thunder showers. Still only 1.02 for the month." | | 7. 4 May, Vernon 10.6 WSW, Washington County (WS-1) - 1.05 inches:
"Very welcome rain. First measurable participation since April 8th!" | | 8. 5 May, Fort Myers 1.7 WNW, Lee County (LE-72) - 0.47 inches:
"Morning showers. While less than half inch, still the most significant rainfall since February." | | 9. 25 May, Vero Beach 11.9 NW, Indian River County (IR-54) - 1.46 inches:
"Hail at 15.15 - 16.05 local. Hail report filed. Very intense storm with fist size white hail to my West three miles. Storms developed from the Eastern sea breeze and had very slow movement." | | |
Summer to Early Fall Likely Warm and Leaning Wet in Florida
The NOAA Climate Prediction Center's outlook for the rest of this summer and early fall is likely to be warmer than normal on average, July - September, in Florida and across the entire contiguous U.S. Precipitation is leaning above normal in Florida with drought removal likely.
| | Moving this Summer? Contact Us to Set Up Your New Location | | If you are moving to a new address, you will need to have CoCoRaHS assign you a new station name and number, even if you only move a few blocks. This is very important because when you move, your CoCoRaHS station's GPS location and the data point on the map will no longer match the address from where you are actually observing. In order for your new station location to display at its proper location on the rainfall data map, you will need to have us assign a new station name and number. You will keep your same login and password and we will save your data from your previous CoCoRaHS location and archive it indefinitely. Just drop us an email and we'll take care of everything so you will be able to enjoy precipitation observing at your new location. | | | | |
