This winter continues to be very dry across South Florida which is typical of La Niña, which we continue to see in place. January is typically dry, but this year rainfall totals are well below normal with some reporting stations like South Bay and Hollywood Waste Water Plant receiving no measurable rainfall during the month.
Looking at January rainfall totals and how they compare with historical records it was the 7th driest January on record in Ft. Lauderdale where they received only 0.20" for the month.
Miami received only 0.21" of rain making it the 7th driest January on record and in Homestead it was the 3rd driest January on record where just 0.33" of rain fell.
Almost all the rain in January across South Florida fell with a stalled front between January 27th and January 29th.
Ft. Lauderdale had 41 straight days with measurable precipitation from December 18th to January 27th. This was the 6th longest streak with measurable rainfall.
Miami went 29 straight days without rain from December 15th to January 12th, the 13th longest such streak in history.
The result of the abnormally dry conditions is the reinstatement of moderate drought conditions over most of South Florida.
Drought conditions are expected to get worse in the next few months as the Climate Prediction Center's outlook calls for drier than normal conditions to continue across South Florida. The dry season typically ends in May.