Prepare For A Possibly Soggy Summer

SEBRING - Yep, we had rain. At least a full inch of it Tuesday, depending on which part of the county you're in, and more is coming with the start of the summer rainy season.

In fact, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service is predicting that the Florida Heartland could see an abnormally soggy summer as the current La Nina conditions weaken.

"It may be a little too early to predict," said Brian LaMarre with the National Weather Service in Ruskin. "We may be seeing a turn towards the El Nino pattern and that's when the waters will start."
During a La Nina episode, the eastern Pacific Ocean's temperature drops and winds from the east push moisture away from the equator, causing drier weather in Florida. El Nino does just the opposite.

LaMarre said that El Nino episodes bring jet streams into the tropical Atlantic, which in turn disrupts tropical storms from forming. However, this won't affect the upcoming hurricane season since El Nino will not likely take effect until the end of the year.

Locally, Avon Park had an even inch of rain Tuesday, while the Archbold Biological Station south of Lake Placid had 1.27 inches. Archbold had 0.07 inches Monday, while that and Avon Park's gauges recorded rainfalls of 0.05 inches and 0.06 inches Sunday, which were the first recorded precipitation since April 9.

Tuesday's rain caused minor flooding with the construction around Sebring Parkway near the high school, said Ed Yarbrough, Highlands County's interim road and bridge director.