ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s been a while since we measured any rain in Tampa; in fact, some may not remember the last time we had any appreciable rainfall.

You would have to go back to the last week of February when we received a few rounds of rain. The last appreciable rain took place on February 26 when Tampa received 0.35 inches.

Since March 1, Tampa hasn’t received any measurable rainfall. In fact, Tampa only received a trace of rain on March 6. A trace of rain is less than 1/100 of an inch.

If March were to end right now, Tampa would tie the record for the driest March on record set back in 2006 and 1907.

Many other cities around the state barely had measurable rain. Bradenton and Apalachicola join Tampa with no measurable rain yet this month.

Meanwhile, Orlando and Ft. Myers only received 0.02” this month, placing Orlando on track to tie the record for driest March on record. The current record stands at 0.02” set back in 2006.

When you look back at the last 30 days, the I-4 corridor has only received about 10 percent of the rain we typically see. Orlando picked up 8 percent of its average rain and Tampa received 16 percent.

So what does this mean?

It means parts of the state is experiencing short-term drought conditions, especially the Florida Panhandle where it has been exceptionally dry since January 1. Parts of the Panhandle are reporting rain deficits of nearly 10 inches. Apalachicola is in a deficit of 9.27 inches since the start of 2020.

As a result, parts of the Florida Panhandle are in a “severe drought” but the effects are expected to be short term.

While Tampa isn’t in a drought, we are experiencing abnormally dry conditions. This means the fire danger has been elevated and that is common as we enter the spring months.

So the big question is, where’s the relief?

The good news is our pattern will change and it should be sooner than later. We will see the storm track dip further south next week, which will set us up for additional rain chances.

We don’t expect a soaking rain to move through but a greater frequency of showers is welcomed at this point.