Wednesday, October 1, 2014

End in Sight to Florida Rain Following Soggy September

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

October 1,2014; 10:25PM,EDT

After enduring a rather soggy September month, drier weather will finally arrive in Florida as the calendar dives into October and the state trends out of the rainy season.
The Sunshine State was not able to live up to its name this past month as many areas experienced a bumper crop of cloudy and rainy days.

Florida Endures a Soggy September

To compare actual versus normal rainfall in the above graphic, click on the circles within the graphic.

The rainy season in Florida typically runs from June to September, a period that is often highlighted by tropical systems.
However, land-falling tropical systems were not a part of the rainy season this year, yet the last month featured a large uptick in rainfall.
September actually had more fronts dipping into the state than normal, which allowed for an increase in shower and thunderstorm activity.
According to AccuWeather.com Meteorologist D.J. Hoffman, the fronts and the tropical moisture across Florida provided a ripe setup for daily downpours.
"The series of fronts that tracked into Florida typically stalled and would bring a soaking stretch of days," said Hoffman.
While the amount of rain was not exceptional or record-breaking in most areas, Daytona Beach was a major exception. The wettest day came on Sept. 24 when a daily rainfall record was broken. The rain gauge recorded 6.41 inches of rainfall, shattering the old record of 4.22 inches that was set in 1974 for the date.
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The west coast of Florida to the northern portion of the state received the heaviest rainfall for the month. However, some areas actually were drier than normal, including portions of South Florida and the Panhandle.
The heavy rainfall will likely take a break in the upcoming days as a pattern change ushers the region out of the rainy season.

A strong cold front will sweep out the thunderstorms this weekend.
"Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue across the Florida Peninsula through Friday, but a cold front on Saturday will bring an end to the wet season across the northern half of the state," said Hoffman.
The dry air will reach South Florida and the Keys on Sunday.
Temperatures will take a dive as well, dropping from the typical mid-80s to the cool low 70s across northern Florida.
While a lasting break is in store for northern and many central counties of the state, the dry weather may be short-lived farther south.
High pressure is set to build in behind the front next week which will extend the dry period.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski contributed content to this story.

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