Some Areas See Over Five Inches During Wet Weekend

    There was very little need to worry about unintended fires starting from Independence Day fireworks this year.
    Another weekend of dousing rainfall in north Lake County was a welcome sight for anyone worried that a stray spark from the ever-growing number of private firework shows would start a wildfire. A wet start to the 2022 rainy season has left the area with soil moisture levels rarely seen in early July.
    This weekend’s rains were devoid of the lightning, wind, and power outages that descended on the area just a few days earlier, rather simply arrived with steady rains during the midday hours that at times grew to deluges. But by early evening, when locals were looking to get outside for fireworks shows both large and small, the skies mostly cleared.
    An automated weather station at the Umatilla Municipal Airport reported 5.03 inches of rain from Friday - Sunday, with several private rain gauges posting above four inches.
    The rain has had a positive impact on the Keetch Byram Drought Index, which calculates soil moisture and is managed by the Florida Forest Service. On Monday, July 4, the KBDI in Lake County was in the 100-199 range of the 0-750 scale, with lower numbers indicating greater soil moisture. The lower the number the wetter the soil, and the lower the fire risk.