Big Week Of Rain, Totals Near Ten Inches

    North Lake County experienced storms and heavy rains throughout the second half of last week, with rain totals approaching 10 inches in some areas. The rain ended a spring drought that had persisted through April and Much of May.
    Through last week, over nine inches of rain was reported in reader gauges west of Umatilla. A Florida Forest Service rain gauge in Leesburg reported over eight inches on Thursday and Friday alone, and rain tracker and Pittman resident Johnny Bates logged almost 7.5 inches for the week.
    “That’s a lot of rain,’ Bates said. “Especially for this time of year.”
    Indeed, May is historically among the driest months of the year in Lake County, a condition that can persist until the summer weather pattern of afternoon rainstorms arrives, usually in early June.
    A state of Florida automated rain gauge at the Umatilla Municipal Airport recorded over five inches of rain on Friday and Saturday, as well as winds that were as high as 32 miles per hour on Friday.
    The storms late in the week were the most violent of several days of disturbed weather in the area. Umatilla resident Charles Nield captured an image of a tornado from his home on Lake Lucida just west of downtown last Sunday, May 14. The tornado did not reportedly touch down anywhere, but was a precursor of the strong storms that arrived later in the week.