CoCoRaHS

FLORIDA

A Community Collaborative

Rain, Hail & Snow Network

Spring 2026 Newsletter

Greetings from the Coordinators,

We are pleased to present the spring 2026 edition of our Florida CoCoRaHS newsletter. April kicks off our annual Rain Gauge Rally recruitment contest! if you know someone who has been thinking about becoming a CoCoRaHS observer, April is a great time for them to learn more and join.

In this issue, we share recent highlights from our network, discuss the ongoing drought, and share some updates and reminders. Winter 2025-2026 (December - February) ranked as the 48th-warmest winter on record in Florida (131 years), with a statewide average temperature of 59.7̊F which was +1.1̊F above the long-term average, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. It was the 14th-driest winter on record in Florida, with an average statewide precipitation of 5.07 inches, which was 3.77 inches below average. Long-term rainfall deficits have led to continued dry conditions, low soil moisture, declining streamflows, and elevated wildfire activity. We discuss some of these trends and impacts more below.

Thank you for your continued dedication to the CoCoRaHS program. We hope you enjoy this newsletter and the warmer weather! As alway feel free to reach out to us with any news, photos, or questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Emily Powell

epowell@coaps.fsu.edu

Ivetta Abramyan

ivetta.abramyan@fscj.edu

Rain Gauge Rally Starts April 1st (no joke)!

It is almost time for the annual CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge Rally, which runs from April 1 - 30. The CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge Rally is our friendly annual recruiting contest to see which state can recruit the most new volunteers during the month. The competition used to be held during March but has been moved to April for the first time this year. Everything else about the recruitment contest, from the format to the winning "CoCoRaHS Cup", remains the same.

Watch this year's Rain Gauge Rally trailer here. Learn more and track each state's progress and ranking throughout the month here.

Winter Precipitation and Drought Expansion Across Florida

Winter precipitation varied substantially across Florida. The greatest seasonal precipitation amounts were observed in Northwest Florida along coastal areas of Fort Walton Beach and Niceville with 10-15", while parts of south-central Florida received the lowest precipitation, with seasonal totals ranging from 1-2" in the area around Lake Okeechobee.

(Click on the map to view a larger image.)

This map below shows the rainfall departures from normal, in inches, from December 1st to February 28th using various station networks including CoCoRaHS, courtesy of the High Plains Regional Climate Center. Below-normal seasonal rainfall led to deficits generally between 1.5 and 6 inches.

Since early December, parts of the eastern coast of Florida saw a 4-category degradation, from no drought in early December to extreme drought (D3) by early March. The state is currently experiencing the worst drought in at least 25 years, according to some metrics.

Changes in drought class during the 12 weeks from December 9, 2025 to March 3, 2026, from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

CoCoRaHS observers in Florida reported dry conditions throughout winter. The chart below shows the weekly Condition Monitoring reports submitted by CoCoRaHS observers between November 25, 2025 and March 3, 2026. These reports indicate whether conditions on the ground are wetter, near normal, or drier than normal based on the observers' experiences for their locations. The chart shows the reports as a percentage of the total number of reports submitted each week. For example, if there were 10 reports submitted in the state for a given week, and 5 of those reports indicated wet conditions and 5 reports indicated dry conditions, the chart would display 50% wet, 50% dry, and 0% near normal for that week. Nearly all reports submitted each week in Florida during this time indicated dry conditions.

CoCoRaHS Weekly Condition Monitoring Reports
(November 25, 2025 to March 3, 2026)

"Rain total is an approximation using climatic gauge. Most of this rain has come down since 5:30pm, the problem is my front AND back yards are flooded due to the lack of rain previously. It hasn't been able to soak in. Just thought to tell you what I am observing. Some lightning nearby as well." - February 27, 2026, FL-MR-65 (Marion County)

The lack of adequate rainfall has resulted in extremely low streamflows, with some small ponds and streams drying up completely. Any rainfall, particularly in the form of thunderstorms or downpours, have had a hard time replenishing supplies as the dry, hard ground caused more surface runoff rather than rain infiltrating into the ground.

By early March, all five Water Management Districts in Florida had issued mandatory or voluntary water restrictions. In early March, Tampa Bay declared a Stage 3 water supply shortage due to low river flows and projected low levels in the region's reservoirs, which comes with stricter lawn watering rules and allows the water utility to rely more heavily on groundwater and desalinated seawater to meet demand. Wildfire activity increased as well, with the largest being the National Wildfire in Collier County which burned more than 35,000 acres and reduced visibility across local roadways including Alligator Alley. Drought is expected to persist until regions receive plentiful, consistent rainfall sufficient to restore stream flows and reservoirs.

Exceptional Drought Returns in North as Spring Begins

At the beginning of March, all of Florida was experiencing drought conditions (D1-D3). As of March 24, exceptional drought (D4) has been reintroduced to parts of northern Florida, with approximately 9.5% in exceptional drought, 63% of the state in extreme drought (D3), 18% in severe drought (D2), and 9% of the state in moderate drought (D1), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Winter Extremes Across Florida CoCoRaHS

Between 1 December 2025 and 28 February 2026:

Highest seasonal rainfall total: 15.43" in Shalimar, Okaloosa Co. (OK-41)*
Lowest seasonal rainfall total: 0.88" in Lake Placid, Highlands Co. (HL-1)*
Highest daily rainfall total: 6.51" reported on December 8 in Trinity, Pasco Co. (PS-65)

*Based on stations with at least 90% completeness

Significant Weather Reports

Between 1 December 2025 and 28 February 2026, there were:

13 total Significant Weather reports submitted, including:
1 report of severe flooding
3 reports of unusual flooding
1 report of minor flooding

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.

1. 2 December, Inverness 4.7 WNW, Citrus County (CT-35) - 0.01 inches:

"Some light rain, very light overnight and this morning. North of here getting more significant rain. Crunchy Crunchy here in Citrus county with a burn ban in place."

2. 2 December, Pensacola 18.9 WSW, Escambia County (ES-24) - 0.77 inches:

"Finally - over a month without any rain. This should help a small bit, at least with rye grass and laying down the dust. More is needed."

3. 30 December, Newberry 3.0 NNE, Alachua County (AL-102) - 0.09 inches:

"Light midday showers associated with cold front. Temp dropped from 74 degrees at noon to 36 at 7 AM, most significant fall came late overnight."

4. 18 January, Pensacola 1.2 SSW, Escambia County (ES-58) - 0.19 inches:

"In Pensacola’s second attempt in a year at forming a glacier, thus allowing the city to maintain its distinction as Florida’s Winter Sports and Driving Capital, we received a clumpy, wet 0.25” snowfall just before sunrise. Like, snowball-making snow. The snow occurred between about 5:00 AM and concluded around 6:15 AM CST. This was measured on a snowboard disguised as an unobstructed car roof. Snow accumulated on roofs, trees and shrubs, and solar panels. On lawns, there was spotty coverage. Streets and sidewalks, instant melting. No sleet that I could see, hear, or find. The 0.19 reading was rainfall that started on Saturday in occasional showers, and nearly all of it overnight. Snow is already melting at the time of observation, temperature is around 34°F."

5. 18 January, Eglin Afb 5.6 NE, Okaloosa County (OK-2) - 0.50 inches:

"Snowfall from 6 am to 7 am this morning. No winter precipitation was falling at observation time. Accumulation of snow on grassy areas and car surfaces. Total snow depth measured 0.1 inch. Clearing skies to the west, overcast, and with light breeze."

6. 29 January, Port Orange 2.5 NNE, Volusia County (VL-60) - 0.00 inches:

"Very dry. Sunny and cold, ground is drying out, many lawns are showing brown patches."

7. 1 February, Sebring 2.0 SW, Highlands County (HL-47) - 0.02 inches:

"Very light rain shortly after sunrise. 25 degrees at the 7am observation time, coldest I've seen it since moving here in 2013."

8. 1 February, Tallahassee 5.2 E, Leon County (LN-47) - 0.00 inches:

"Overnight low temp 22, below freezing since 6 pm Saturday, few snow flurries Saturday afternoon."

9. 2 February, Archer 5.5 E, Alachua County (AL-2) - 0.00 inches:

"HEAVY frost in pastures. 21 degrees at 8:15 a.m."

10. 16 February, Belleview 3.3 SSW, Marion County (MR-65) - 1.27 inches:

"Rain starts at 1718, earlier lots of strong winds afternoon. Rain heavy enough at 1830 to flood back yard. Several periods of heavy rain. Heaviest rain occurred at 1830-1840. Rain becoming light at 2000, and ending around 2120."

11. 23 February, St. Petersburg 2.5 S, Pinellas County (PN-81) - 0.58 inches:

"Cold front before noon. This is the most rain we have received in one day for about 2 months. After the rain stopped the temps dropped all day. Wind out of the NW about 10 to 20 MPH."

Spring Outlook Leaning Warmer than Normal, with Most Areas Leaning Wetter than Normal

La Niña conditions have persisted in the tropical equatorial Pacific Ocean but a transition to ENSO-neutral conditions is likely in the next month. Neutral conditions are favored during May-July 2026 (55% chance). El Niño is likely to emerge during June-August 2026 (62% chance) and persist through at least the end of the year. The NOAA Climate Prediction Center's outlook for the remainder of this spring and early summer is leaning warmer than normal, April-June. Precipitation is leaning above average in Florida, except in South Florida where there are equal chances for above, below, and near normal precipitation. As a result, drought is expected to improve statewide.

Important Reminders

CoCoRaHS Weather Talk Webinar Series

Don't forget to tune into the regular CoCoRaHS webinar series featuring experts from around the country on various weather and climate topics. The next 2 webinars you won't want to miss!

April 1, 2026 at 1pm ET - "Exploring the Enigma that is Drought" by Mark Svoboda of the National Drought Mitigation Center.
May 27, 2026 at 1pm ET - "Atlantic basin hurricane variability and outlook for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season" by Phil Klotzblach of Colorado State University

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