Florida, 2025

Drought in Florida, May 1 to 31, 2025

May 1 to 31, 2025 · NWS MFL · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Prolonged periods of dry weather across much of South Florida during the winter and spring months led to the drought conditions entering May with rainfall during the month allowing conditions to slowly improve.

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

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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.

Prolonged periods of dry weather across much of South Florida during the winter and spring months led to the drought conditions entering May with rainfall during the month allowing conditions to slowly improve.

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 Apr 30, 11:55 PM EST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 11:55 PM EST, 5 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Miami FL
Issued by National Weather Service Key West FL
1255 AM EDT Thu May 1 2025

...New AVIATION...

.SHORT TERM...
(Rest of today through Thursday)
Issued at 1209 PM EDT Wed Apr 30 2025

Deep-layer ridging has settled in across the region today as the
surface ridge axis remains entrenched across the western Atlantic
waters. Drier low level air will continue to advect into the
region via anticyclonic flow, reinforcing the status quo, a period
of dry and quiet weather lasting for the rest of the work week.
Given the continued lack of any synoptic flow aloft, the daytime
weather regime will once again be dictated by mesoscale processes
such as the typical sea-breeze circulations. Winds will veer
onshore along the gulf coast each afternoon as easterly flow keeps
the gulf sea-breeze boundary over inland southwestern Florida
late in the day. Outside of some shallow low-level boundary layer
cumulus, Subsidence and a consequent capping inversion will keep
any vertical development (and rainfall) to a minimum. A
temperature gradient will remain with us both afternoons as breezy
easterly onshore flow keeps temperatures cool along the east
coast (low to mid 80s) with warmer temperatures across the western
half of South Florida.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Thursday night through next Tuesday)
Issued at 239 PM EDT Wed Apr 30 2025

The deep mid level ridging across the region begins to break down
during the day on Friday and surface high pressure slowly starts
to push further away from the region into the western Atlantic.
This will cause the surface winds to gradually veer to a light
southeasterly to southerly component late on Friday into Saturday
morning. This subtle change is due in large part to a surface
frontal boundary that will be moving through the Southeast and
approaching the region this weekend in combination with a mid-
level trough moving across the eastern half of the United States.

As the boundary washes out across the region with a deeper
envelope of moisture, mesoscale processes(sea-breezes) will
continue to dictate the weather regime each afternoon. Ensemble
and deterministic model guidance continues to hint at the
potential of a few mid-level impulses rotating around the base of
the aforementioned trough and across the region late in the
weekend into early next week. The combination of deeper moisture,
greater instability, and convergent boundaries could potentially
set the stage for the next opportunity of measurable rain across
the region during this time frame. The forecast for later in the
weekend heading into early next week still remains rather
uncertain as this airmass currently in place has been persistently
very dry. The latest global and ensemble guidance suite continue
to trend slower in regards to when the best chances of showers and
thunderstorms would occur across the region while also depicting
lesser rainfall totals. This will continue to be monitored as the
week progresses.

&&

.AVIATION...
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 1253 AM EDT Thu May 1 2025

Easterly winds around 10 kts this morning becoming 10-15 kts with
gusts of 20-25 kts after 15Z. An afternoon westerly Gulf breeze is
expected at APF after 18Z. Isolated coastal showers are possible
late in the day but chances are too low for mention with this
issuance.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 1209 PM EDT Wed Apr 30 2025

A period of cautionary conditions for small craft will continue
across the Atlantic waters through Thursday with periods of
cautionary conditions also occurring across the local gulf waters.
Seas will remain 4-5 feet across the Gulf Stream waters this
morning before gradually decreasing to 2-4 feet by Thursday morning.
Waves will remain in the 2-3 feet range across the Gulf waters

&&

.BEACHES...
Issued at 1209 PM EDT Wed Apr 30 2025

A high risk of rip currents will prevail at all east coast beaches
today. As breezy to gusty easterly flow continues, the elevated
risk of rip currents will continue through Friday. When in doubt,
don't go out!

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 124 AM EDT Wed Apr 30 2025

Although winds will remain light across inland locales this
afternoon, relative humidity values will drop to near or just above
critical levels (mid to upper 30s) across inland southwestern Florida.
This may result in enhanced fire behavior as vegetation remains
quite dry across these areas. Closer to both coasts, relative
humidity values will remain well above thresholds as onshore flow
moderates relative humidity values as sea-breezes move inland.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Miami            72  83  73  85 /  10  20  10  30
West Kendall     68  85  69  87 /  10  10  10  30
Opa-Locka        71  85  72  87 /  10  20  10  30
Homestead        71  83  72  85 /  10  10  20  30
Fort Lauderdale  72  82  73  82 /  10  20  20  40
N Ft Lauderdale  71  82  72  83 /  10  20  20  40
Pembroke Pines   73  87  74  88 /  10  20  20  30
West Palm Beach  70  83  70  84 /  10  20  20  40
Boca Raton       71  84  72  85 /  10  20  20  40
Naples           66  86  68  87 /  10  10  20  20

&&

.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...High Rip Current Risk through Friday evening for FLZ168-172-173.

AM...None.
GM...None.
&&

SHORT TERM...Hadi
LONG TERM....Hadi
AVIATION...CMF

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, Coastal Broward County

When
May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 20, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Coastal Broward County forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
26.152, -80.456 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Most of coastal Broward County began the month of May in a moderate (D1) to severe (D2) drought which lingered until rainfall activity mid to late month allowed slight improvement to widespread moderate (D1) drought.

Drought, Metro Broward County

When
May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Metro Broward County forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
26.152, -80.456 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Most of metro Broward County began the month of May in a moderate (D1) to severe (D2) drought with a small northwestern sliver in extreme (D3) drought which lingered until rainfall activity mid to late month allowed slight improvement to widespread moderate (D1) drought except for a western sliver which remained in severe (D2) drought.

Drought, Inland Broward County

When
May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Inland Broward County forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
26.152, -80.456 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Most of inland Broward County began the month of May in a severe (D2) to extreme (D3) drought which lingered until rainfall activity mid to late month allowed slight improvement to cut the extreme (D3) drought area westward.

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 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, May 2025

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: 1268573, 1268577, 1268578.