Treasure Coast - Thursday April 13: The National Weather Service is assuring Treasure Coast residents that the rain coming our way overnight will not drench our area with the kind of flooding seen in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday night, but forecasters predict there could be some severe thunderstorm activity.
The 20 to 25 inches of rain that fell on Ft. Lauderdale Wednesday night was unprecedented. It was brought on by a warm front that’s continue to track north over the Treasure Coast. But William Ulrich, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Melbourne, says we won't be getting the same amount of rain.
“The good news is we’re not expecting any type of repeat of what we saw in Fort Lauderdale in our local community here," said Ulrich. "We are expecting scattered showers and thunderstorms, but nothing like what we witnessed in Fort Lauderdale yesterday.”
The big concern is for the potential of isolated severe isolated thunderstorms across the area. "The greatest threat being damaging winds in excess of 50 to 60 mph," said Ulrich. "But, I want to stress, not everyone is going to see a thunderstorm today. These storms will remain scattered.”
However he doesn't expect well get enough rain to relive the ongoing drought. “Unfortunately, what water has fallen, is evaporating very quickly, so this relief is expected to only be temporary and not enough to take us out of those drought conditions that we’ve been experiencing over the past couple of months.”
He doesn’t expect drought relief until mid-May. “Our deficit in terms of rainfall is about 8 to 10 inches. So, we have a long way to go. We’re probably going to have to wait until we see the rainy season kicks in. Generally, the wet season starts in the middle to later portion of May.”