Cold front to bring afternoon rows of rain showers to drought-touched Palm Beach County
As of 1 p.m., Palm Beach International Airport had recorded an estimated total of 1.72 inches of rain. The county is forecast to begin seeing afternoon showers between 2 and 4 p.m., with rainfall lasting through the evening hours.
"We're in a little lull now, but as we move toward the late afternoon and into the evening hours, we should start to see another round on the east coast," meteorologist Barry Baxter of the National Weather Service's Miami office said.
Past coverage: Extreme drought engulfs Palm Beach County ahead of rainy season, most widespread since 2011
The rainfall is likely to have a minimal effect on lingering drought conditions for the county, which remains nearly 9 inches below the average total for this time of year.
Through the end of May 11, Palm Beach International Airport had received a total of 5.48 inches since Jan. 1. The normal yearly total for that date is 14.31, Baxter said.
The line of storms "should help to improve the drought, but it won't go away," Baxter said. The Weather Service is eager to see "how "how the environment responds, the underground reservoirs respond and all that."
Florida's rainy season begins May 15.
A U.S. Drought Monitor report released May 8 is notable for putting 88% of Palm Beach County and 1.3 million residents, in extreme drought — the fourth level on a five-tier scale of severity.
The May 13 forecast calls for a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall amounts of between one-quarter and one-half inch of rain are possible, according to the National Weather Service.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cold front to produce afternoon rain showers for Palm Beach County
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'Flash Flood Warnings were also issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before flash flooding conditions occurred.' Wyndham Etheridge, a 14-year-old at Camp La Junta in Hunt, Texas, told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield he woke up to people from all over the camp coming to 'seek refuge' at his cabin. They stayed there, fearing the strong floodwaters could sweep them away. As the water rose, they climbed into the loft of their cabin to escape, but it wasn't safe, Etheridge said. 'So at some point we just decided … we could go to bed for a little bit, but then we woke up again to more water,' he said. Etheridge's parents were among the lucky who received word that their son was safe and could be picked up. 'All those boys were pretty traumatized,' said Amy Etheridge, Wyndham's mother. For the families of the many who were taken by the floods, their trauma is just beginning.
