Rain Showers Skip County For Almost 30 Days

SEBRING - So much for the April showers.

Heavy downpours came early last month to bring more rain than Highlands County would see all April long, and a brief shower dabbed Avon Park last weekend. But the National Weather Service reported not a single drop of rainfall since April 9 in its two gauges at Avon Park and the Archbold Biological Station near Lake Placid.

And with no rains in the forecast for the rest of the week, that means we'll likely go more than an entire month without the rain we've been needing in the two-year-long drought.

Your yard may be feeling it. Certainly the trees are but Tim Elder, of the Division of Forestry, said the fire threat is no worse than what it would normally be this time of the year.

As for the 27 straight days without any rain, "for this time of year (it) is not out of the ordinary," he added.

For those who like the outdoors, the non-existing storm clouds have an obvious silver lining. The lack of rain and the normally low moisture of the springtime air is making the 90-degree heat a lot less uncomfortable, if also more variable.

Meteorologist Paul Close of the Natural Weather Service said that the Archbold Biological Station, south of Lake Placid, reported a high of 92 and a low of 48 degrees Monday.

The dew points -- the temperatures the air would need to drop to for water to start beading up on your car or your plants -- have hovered between 48 degrees and 63 degrees, which Close said was pleasantly dry if you're planning any outdoor activities. Close said that by June, it typically climbs above 70 degrees.

The higher the dew point, the higher the moisture. Typical summer dew points run above 70 degrees, while a dew point in the high 70s would make for a really muggy day.

"Enjoy it while you can," he said.

Robert Walker, a pastor at the Bountiful Blessings Church of God, enjoyed the cloudless Tuesday afternoon sky at Sebring downtown's Circle Park with a coffee.

"I was just sitting here meditating," he said. "Good day to be fishing."

Walter Saunders wouldn't say so.

"I think it's hot" said the Floridian as he smoked a cigarette, while resting at a bench near the Sammich Place.