Name: Drought in Florida, September 11 to 30, 2007
Start: 2007-09-11T07:00
End: 2007-09-30T23:59
Location: Florida

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MFL wrote it up.

Below normal rain during the first half of September, along with long term rainfall deficits, resulted in the reinstatement of severe drought conditions for most of interior South Florida, including the Lake Okeechobee region.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 11, 2:06 AM EST, 4 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 11, 2:06 AM EST, 4 hours 54 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
306 AM EDT TUE SEP 11 2007

ATLC RIDGE BUILDING W AND S FLA HAS A DEEP E/SE WIND FLOW DEVELOP
-ING OVER THE SE PORTION OF S FLA AND MORE SOUTHERLY ELSEWHERE AS
WINDS ROTATE ABOUT THE RIDGE. PWATS REMAIN RESPECTABLE THROUGH THE
PERIOD BUT MOISTURE PULSES NOTED IN MODELS MAKING SOME DAILY
FLUCUATIONS. WIND TRAJECTORY KEEPS DIURNAL POPS HIGHER INTERIOR AND
W WITH HIGHER POPS E NOCTURNALLY. LAKE AND SEA BREEZES TO BE MAIN
DRIVING FORCES THOUGH SOME UPPER LEVEL INFLUENCE POSSIBLE LATE IN
THE WEEK/EARLY WEEKEND AS A LARGE UPPER LOW PRES SYSTEM MOVES INTO
THE SE BAHAMAS/N CENTRAL CARIB WITH A DEEP TROUGH DEVELOPING OVER
THE E U.S.

&&
.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THU...RADAR INDICATING SCATTERED POPS
MOVING NW THROUGH THE ATLC WATERS...WITH SCATTERED POPS E COAST
EARLY TODAY AND HIGHER INTERIOR AND W THIS AFTERNOON. SIMILAR
PATTERN WED AND THU THOUGH A BIT MORE MOISTURE WED MAY UP POPS A
LITTLE. TROPICAL WAVE NEARING PUERTO RICO BEING AFFECTED BY AN UPPER
LOW JUST W OF THE WAVE WITH ENHANCED ACTIVITY OCCURRING ON N APEX OF
THE WAVE. THIS WAVE EXPECTED TO NEAR S FLA LATE THU/THU NIGHT. UPPER
LOW WEAKENS/DISSIPATES AND...AT THE MOMENT SEE NO REAL CHANGES TO
WEA PATTERN.

&&
.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...RIDGING OVER FLA PENINSULA
BECOMES PINCHED BETWEEN AN AREA OF LOW PRES TO THE SE AND A TROUGH
DIGGING INTO THE SE U.S. THIS ADDS A LITTLE INSTABILITY ALOFT AS
UPPER WINDS DIVERGE BUT ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE DROPS SIMULTANEOUSLY.
THUS...NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO FORECAST AT THE MOMENT.

.AVIATION...SCATTERED SHRA WILL CONTINUE OVER THE ATLANTIC WATERS
THIS MORNING...WITH DEVELOPMENT AIDED BY A WEAK MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE
TROUGH PASSING ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS.  MOST OF THIS ACTIVITY
WILL DISSIPATE AS IT MOVES ONSHORE...BUT WILL LEAVE VCSH IN THE
FORECAST FOR TERMINALS ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST.  OTHERWISE...EXPECT
PREVAILING VFR CONDITIONS TODAY WITH SCATTERED CU AND SCT/BKN
CIRROFORM CLOUD COVER THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD.  CONVECTION SHOULD
DEVELOP ALONG THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE BY LATE MORNING...WITH LIGHT
WESTERLY STEERING FLOW MOVING ACTIVITY INLAND DURING THE AFTERNOON.
BACKGROUND FLOW WILL BE LIGHT ENOUGH FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A GULF COAST
SEA BREEZE...AND HAVE INDICATED ONSHORE FLOW AT KAPF AFTER 11/18Z.
A WEAK UPPER TROUGH MOVING SLOWLY ACROSS THE FLORIDA STRAITS TONIGHT
MAY INITIATE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT NEAR THE SOUTHEAST COAST AFTER
DARK...AND HAVE EXTENDED VCTS/CB FOR THE BROWARD AND MIAMI-DADE
TERMINALS TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS POSSIBILITY.  70/DD

&&
.MARINE...WINDS GENERALLY 10 TO 15 KNOTS AT MOST AND SE/S TODAY
THROUGH THU...BECOMING EASTERLY FRI AND INTO THE WEEKEND. SEAS 4
FEET OR LESS IN THE ATLC WATERS AND SLIGHTLY LOWER IN THE GULF.

&&
.FIRE WEATHER...NO CONCERNS AT THIS TIME.

&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
WEST PALM BEACH  90  77  89  78/ 40 20 50 20
FORT LAUDERDALE  89  79  89  79/ 30 20 50 20
MIAMI            90  78  90  78/ 30 20 50 20
NAPLES           92  75  90  75/ 40 30 40 30

&&

.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...NONE.
AM...NONE.
GM...NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 11, 5:15 AM EST, 1 hour 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
615 AM EDT TUE SEP 11 2007

FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-112215-
GLADES-HENDRY-INLAND PALM BEACH-METRO PALM BEACH-COASTAL COLLIER-
INLAND COLLIER-INLAND BROWARD-METRO BROWARD-INLAND MIAMI DADE-
METRO MIAMI DADE-MAINLAND MONROE-COASTAL PALM BEACH-
COASTAL BROWARD-COASTAL MIAMI DADE-FAR SOUTH MIAMI DADE-
615 AM EDT TUE SEP 11 2007

...MODERATE RISK OF LIGHTNING ALL AREAS TODAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS: THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF
MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS TODAY.
LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD...ALTHOUGH GUSTY
WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY
THUNDERSTORM.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY THROUGH
MONDAY. LIGHTNING STRIKES AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE
MAIN THREATS WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER THE UPCOMING
WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
MIAMI WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MIAMI.

70/DD

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Glades

When: September 11, 7:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Glades forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.957, -81.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Below normal rain during the first half of September, along with long term rainfall deficits, resulted in the reinstatement of severe drought conditions for most of interior South Florida, including the Lake Okeechobee region. The level of Lake Okeechobee remained at record low levels of below 10 feet through the month, about 5 feet below normal levels.

Drought, Hendry

When: September 11, 7:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Hendry forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.554, -81.166 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Below normal rain during the first half of September, along with long term rainfall deficits, resulted in the reinstatement of severe drought conditions for most of interior South Florida, including the Lake Okeechobee region. The level of Lake Okeechobee remained at record low levels of below 10 feet through the month, about 5 feet below normal levels.

Drought, Inland Palm Beach County

When: September 11, 7:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Inland Palm Beach County forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.648, -80.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Below normal rain during the first half of September, along with long term rainfall deficits, resulted in the reinstatement of severe drought conditions for most of interior South Florida, including the Lake Okeechobee region. The level of Lake Okeechobee remained at record low levels of below 10 feet through the month, about 5 feet below normal levels.

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Florida in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, September 2007

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 60575, 60576, 60577.