Name: Drought in Florida, April 1 to 30, 2012
Start: 2012-04-01T00:00
End: 2012-04-30T23:59
Location: Florida

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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.

Very dry conditions continued into early April over all of South Florida as high pressure continued to provide stable atmospheric conditions.

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 Mar 31, 7:31 PM EST, 4 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 7:31 PM EST, 4 hours 29 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
831 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

.UPDATE...
A FEW MINOR TWEAKS TO THE GRIDDED FORECAST/ZONES WERE MADE EARLIER
BASED ON THE LATEST OBSERVATIONS AND TRENDS AROUND THE LOCAL
AREA...MAINLY FOR THE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING SHOWER COVERAGE.
OTHERWISE...THE PREVIOUS FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK AND NO MAJOR
UPDATES ARE NECESSARY AT THIS TIME. DUAL POL STORM TOTAL PRECIP
ESTIMATED RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS IN THE 2-4 INCH RANGE FROM
KENDALL LAKES TO THE TAMIAMI FAIRGROUNDS TO JUST EAST OF THE MIA
AIRPORT...THAT MAINLY OCCURRED THROUGH THE AFTERNOON PERIOD.
FARTHER NORTH...OVER THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS...1-2 INCHES WERE
ESTIMATED FROM BOCA RATON TO WEST PALM BEACH.

THE EVENING SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDING
SOUTH OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA WITHIN A WEAKNESS IN THE
SUBTROPICAL RIDGE. THIS TROUGH COMBINED WITH THE A SHORTWAVE
TROUGH ALOFT WERE THE MAIN REASONS DRIVING TODAY'S SHOWERS/STORMS.
THE DEEP LAYER FLOW WAS PRIMARILY OUT OF THE WSW AND THAT WILL
GENERALLY CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. MODELS
INDICATE THE UPPER FLOW STEADILY VEERING TOWARD THE NW THROUGH THE
NIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY AS THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH SHIFTS EAST OVER
THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. THIS WILL RESULT IN DRIER MID/UPPER LEVEL
AIR FILTERING IN ACROSS THE FL PENINSULA. ALTHOUGH THE BULK OF THE
AFTERNOON SHOWER/TSTM COVERAGE HAS TRENDED DOWN THIS
EVENING...WILL KEEP A 20 TO 30 PERCENT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS THROUGH
REMAINDER OF THE EVENING WITH THE BEST CHANCE AROUND THE LAKE
REGION AND PALM BEACH COUNTY. OTHERWISE...A QUIET NIGHT WITH SOME
PATCHY FOG DEVELOPING INLAND LATE WILL BE EXPECTED. THE DRIER AIR
PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED FILTERING INTO AREA SHOULD LIMIT THE RAINFALL
CHANCES SUNDAY. 85/AG

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 237 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012/

DISCUSSION...
SERIES OF SHORTWAVES THROUGH SOUTHERN END OF EASTERN U.S. TROUGH
HELPING TO SET OFF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN GULF
OF MEXICO AND NORTHERN/CENTRAL FLORIDA PENINSULA THIS AFTERNOON.
OVER SOUTH FLORIDA, DAYTIME HEATING AND SEA BREEZES PRODUCING
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS FROM HENDRY COUNTY TO MIAMI-
DADE COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE FIRST SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS
NORTH FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING, EXPECT
CURRENT CONVECTION TO CONTINUE AND SPREAD EAST, AFFECTING THE
EASTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. SECOND SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY OVER
WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO WILL CLIP SOUTH FLORIDA LATE TONIGHT,
KEEPING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS OVERNIGHT AS MOIST WESTERLY LOW
LEVEL FLOW REMAINS IN PLACE. SOME PATCHY FOG ALSO POSSIBLE LATE
TONIGHT OVER THE INTERIOR WITH PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE.

SFC TROUGH WILL MOVE OFF THE SOUTHEAST U.S. COAST EARLY SUNDAY
AND LEAVE WEAK SFC HIGH OVER GULF OF MEXICO EXTENDING OVER THE
FLORIDA PENINSULA THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. ALOFT, SOME RIDGING WILL
TAKE PLACE FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY BEFORE ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH
APPROACHES FLORIDA ON TUESDAY. DRIER AIR WILL FILTER OVER THE
REGION SUNDAY AND MONDAY, WHICH WILL LEAD TO WARMER DAYTIME
TEMPERATURES. HIGHS ARE FORECAST TO APPROACH 90 DEGREES OVER THE
INTERIOR OF THE PENINSULA WITH MID TO UPPER 80S NEAR THE COASTS
ALL THE WAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE DRIER AIR WILL LIMIT ANY
CONVECTION THAT DOES DEVELOP OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, BUT
AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES WILL ENHANCE CONVERGENCE AND COULD DEVELOP
AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR TWO SUNDAY AFTERNOON FROM LAKE OKEECHOBEE TO
THE SE TIP OF THE PENINSULA. SIMILAR PATTERN POSSIBLE ON MONDAY
AND TUESDAY BUT DECIDED TO CARRY A "SILENT" 10 PERCENT (NO MENTION
IN ZONES) FOR THE MONDAY AND TUESDAY PERIODS. SUBSEQUENT FORECAST
CAN DETERMINE IF LOW-END POPS NEED TO BE INTRODUCED INTO THE
FORECAST FOR THESE TIME FRAMES.

FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH THE END OF NEXT WEEK...SFC RIDGE REMAINS IN
PLACE ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA, CONTINUING THE MOSTLY DRY AND WARM
WEATHER PATTERN INTO THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL.

AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD OUTSIDE
ANY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY THAT MAY AFFECT THE
SOUTHEAST COAST TERMINALS WHEN MVFR CONDITIONS WOULD BE POSSIBLE.
EAST COAST SEA BREEZE WILL BRING SSE WINDS FROM PBI TO MIA INTO
LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING BUT THAT SHOULD TRANSITION TO
LIGHT SWLY OVERNIGHT ALL TERMINALS WITH LIGHT WNW WINDS OF 5 TO 10
KNOTS BY TOMORROW MID MORNING. AT APF SOUTHWEST COAST SEA BREEZE
WILL WEAKEN BY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING.

MARINE...
ASIDE FROM SEA BREEZES NEAR THE COAST DURING THE AFTERNOON, MOSTLY
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
EASTERLY FLOW BRIEFLY SETS IN ON TUESDAY, THEN BACK TO LIGHT AND
VARIABLE WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AS THE HIGH PRESSURE AREA
SETTLES OVER SOUTH FLORIDA.

FIRE WEATHER...
DRIER AIR OVER AREA SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ALONG WITH WARM
TEMPERATURES WILL DROP MINIMUM DAYTIME RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES
TO THE 35-40 PERCENT RANGE OVER MOST OF THE AREA. THIS WILL HAVE
TO BE WATCHED FOR POSSIBLE FIRE STATEMENTS OR EVEN WARNINGS,
ESPECIALLY IF THE DRIER NAM MODEL ENDS UP VERIFYING. PATCHY FOG
EXPECTED INTERIOR SECTIONS TONIGHT AS WELL AS SUNDAY NIGHT.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
WEST PALM BEACH  84  66  85  67 / 50 20 10 -
FORT LAUDERDALE  83  69  85  69 / 50 20 10 -
MIAMI            85  69  86  69 / 30 20 10 -
NAPLES           85  68  85  67 / 20 10 10 -

&&

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

DISCUSSION/MARINE/FIRE...85/AG
AVIATION/RADAR...57/DG

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 6:25 PM EST, 5 hours 35 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
725 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

AMZ610-630-FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-011430-
LAKE OKEECHOBEE-BISCAYNE BAY-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-
725 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

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

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Glades

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 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)

April started very dry over interior sections of south Florida as high pressure continued to dominate the local weather. Decreasing ground water levels led to the development of extreme drought conditions across Glades County. The second half of April was significantly wetter across the area, resulting in improving drought conditions by the end of the month.

Drought, Hendry

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 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)

April started very dry over interior sections of south Florida as high pressure continued to dominate the local weather. Decreasing ground water levels led to the continuation of severe drought conditions. The second half of April was significantly wetter across the area, resulting in slightly improving drought conditions by the end of the month.

Drought, Inland Collier County

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Inland Collier County forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.099, -81.381 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

April started very dry over interior sections of south Florida as high pressure continued to dominate the local weather. Decreasing ground water levels led to the continuation of severe drought conditions. The second half of April was significantly wetter across the area, resulting in slightly improving drought conditions by the end of the month.

Drought, Inland Palm Beach County

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 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)

April started very dry over interior sections of south Florida as high pressure continued to dominate the local weather. Decreasing ground water levels led to the continuation of severe drought conditions. The second half of April was significantly wetter across the area, resulting in slightly improving drought conditions by the end of the month.

Drought, Inland Broward County

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Inland Broward County forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.152, -80.456 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

April started very dry over interior sections of south Florida as high pressure continued to dominate the local weather. Decreasing ground water levels led to the continuation of severe drought conditions. The second half of April was significantly wetter across the area, resulting in slightly improving drought conditions by the end of the month.

Drought, Inland Miami-Dade

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 24, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Inland Miami-Dade forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 25.609, -80.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

April started very dry over interior sections of south Florida as high pressure continued to dominate the local weather. Decreasing ground water levels led to the continuation of severe drought conditions. The second half of April was significantly wetter across the area, resulting in slightly improving drought conditions by the end of the month.

Drought, Far South Miami-Dade County

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 24, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Far South Miami-Dade County forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 25.609, -80.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

April started very dry over interior sections of south Florida as high pressure continued to dominate the local weather. Decreasing ground water levels led to the continuation of severe drought conditions. The second half of April was significantly wetter across the area, resulting in slightly improving drought conditions by the end of the month.

Drought, Mainland Monroe

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 24, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Mainland Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

April started very dry over interior sections of south Florida as high pressure continued to dominate the local weather. Decreasing ground water levels led to the continuation of severe drought conditions. The second half of April was significantly wetter across the area, resulting in slightly improving drought conditions by the end of the month.

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 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, April 2012

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: 379686, 379687, 379688, 379689, 379691, 379692, 379693, 379694.