Rain on Christmas in Bay Area not enough to recharge water sources

TAMPA, Fla. - It was a rainy Christmas day across the region, but it didn’t deter some people from being outside, like walking along the Pinellas County coastline.

The reality is, we need all the rain we can get. So, this wet Christmas is welcome, especially after the summer Floridians have just experienced.

The heavy summertime rains are a critical component of the water supply and the 2023 rainy season came up short.

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"In the summer, we typically get 60 to 70% of our rain, and we depend on that rainfall to recharge our water sources," said Mark Elsner from the South Florida Water Management District.

According to the Skytower Radar drought monitor, areas of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties are in more than a 12-inch rain deficit.  Manatee and Sarasota Counties are almost 22 inches under the normal rainfall totals.

"With the West Coast having a deficit about 30%, we didn't get that recharge that we expected. And as a result, we have lower groundwater levels starting the dry season," said Elsner.

FOX 13 Chief Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto says we got under an inch of rain Christmas day, so it was not much of an impact on the drought situation.

Dellegatto has been talking about the El Nino pattern we’re in this winter, so the hope is that it brings more much-needed rain our way.