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Precipitation/southwest Florida Vs Southeast Florida


bubba

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Obviously,this is dry season in the South part of the State.This is a normal occurence commencing in Nov.-May each year.At Palm Beach International,our normal rainfall to April 23 is 12.67 inches.Tampa is 9.58 inches through April.Currently,PBA reflects over 18 inches of rain although it appears quite dry.Most of our rainfall this year has occurred at night,which is common but more so this year.I can not locate information specifying what the current rainfall is this year in area's like Tampa.Does anyone know?

Additionally,I note that average yearly rainfall at PBA is 61.39 inches.Tampa is 44.77.What accounts for this large difference?

What you look for is what is looking

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I can not locate information specifying what the current rainfall is this year in area's like Tampa.Does anyone know?

Bubba-

My personal weather station in Tarpon Springs has logged 15.62" so far this year.

The Tampa AP has been a tad drier at 13.10".

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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Additionally,I note that average yearly rainfall at PBA is 61.39 inches.Tampa is 44.77.What accounts for this large difference?

I dunno!

But, the data I do have is that since Ive been logging data on my weather station (just shy of 2 years), Ive logged 140" of rain.

The same period for Tampa AP yields 99.28".

Why there is a such a large difference....I dunno. But, I think it shows the nature of how spotty some of the heavy downpours can be and how measurements taken in two locations not all that far away can vary widely.

As an aside, I checked Miami AP for the same two year period and their total is 135.46"! The Key West station for this same period only managed 82.86".

And, fopr SW stations a bit further south, this same period yielded 87.31" for Naples and 108.55" for Ft. Myers. Again....pretty big difference between stations which are not all that far apart.

Edited by spockvr6

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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I suspect the marine influence of the Gulfstream plays a large part.

The 44 inches recorded at Tampa Int'l is lower than most of the surrounding areas. Temple Terrace, Citrus Park and Carrollwood get easily over 50 inches of annual rain.

Tampa, Interbay Peninsula, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10A

Bokeelia, Pine Island, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10B

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There are areas about 10 to 15 miles inland from the gulf that see the daily summer time storms more consistently - where the east coast sea breeze and west coast sea breeze tend collide. Some of these belts that run parallel to the coast must see 50 to 60 inches a year on average. That being said, places close to the coast such as Venice FL and the interbay peninsula in tampa may well see under 40 inches a year due to the strong seabreeze keeping the storms pushed inland. But, this is all extemely variable.

Southeast and east central FL get more rain more consistently because the dominent winds over peninsular FL come the east most of the time and bring little showers from the gulf stream and atlantic. In the summer, a lot of times these little showers grow into big storms by the time the reach the west coast seabreeze front where the can blossom into rather severe storms any given summer evening, but they often stop 10 to 15 miles short of reaching the coast. In the cooler months, the little showers generally don't hold together all the way over to the west coast unless there is a rather stong easterly flow. I never got my personal weather station rain guage to work right so I am not too sure what my annual rainfall is, but I can still tell when it has rained. I am close enough to the bay that most of the time I am just teased with the afternoon summer storms being held just to the east of me. For example, the NWS in ruskin is about 2 more miles inland from me and they measure rain many more days than I do in the summer. Then, of course there are tropical systems. I think the east coast, on average, sees more landfalls from tropical systems which certainly factors into the long term rain averages.

Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

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Here is a link to a rain map. I had a better one a long time ago that I lost and cannot find now...

FL Rain Map

Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

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So far i have had 9.5 inches this year........and the map confirms the hard scrabble planting scheme out here on the island. :(

Rusty Bell

Pine Island - the Ex-Pat part of Lee County, Fl , USA

Zone 10b, life in the subs!...except when it isn't....

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It is amazing over here the variance in rainfall from East to West.The best example I know of came from two Golf Superintendant friends of mine ,who kept rain gauges at their separate locations.One course was located West(past 441)and the other was nearly on the Ocean.For each of two years,the West had rainfall over 100 inches.My West buddy said that they always got nailed by the Afternoon Thunderstorms but additionally they were East enough to get hit by the Heavy stuff off the Gulfstream.Accordingly,the best or worst of both worlds.

The East buddy recorded about 35 inches each year.One year was super dry until a freak 18 inch blow off the Stream,which did not make it West but inundated Palm Beach.The Airport is almost always around 60 inches.

The amazing thing to me over on the West Coast(ie Naples)is how you can watch it raining so hard literally on one side of the street and get none whatsoever two feet away.I guess it is lack of breeze.

What you look for is what is looking

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