Drought

A strengthening El Niño over the Pacific Ocean may be already influencing Florida's weather, with long-range outlooks indicating a return to below-average rainfall.

Lake Okeechobee's water level is hovering between 11 feet and a few inches less. While that's more than two feet below its historical average for this time of year, it will take another two feet, and then some, for this drought to cause Lake O to break its low-water mark.

Drought conditions are improving across many areas in Florida, but temperatures are about to soar, and chances of storms become more limited this weekend. Also, Saharan dust could be making the skies hazy.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson on Tuesday urged caution with fireworks and asked people to follow local burn regulations.

So when is the rain coming? No major storms are currently forecast.

The exceptional drought has been cut in half! But not all rain has been accounted for in this drought report.

With drought spreading across north Florida, water levels are quickly falling, exposing creek beds and shorelines where many of these once submerged relics now sit.

Even though it's rained the past few days, local officials say our drought continues. Now, Tampa is doubling down on enforcing water restrictions.

Mosquito control groups are hard at work during the drought, making sure today's low mosquito count doesn't become a population boom.

The worst water shortage in nearly a decade has drained regional water reserves and prompted emergency water restrictions and rule changes along the Peace River, raising concerns about the long-term impact on Southwest Florida’s ecosystems.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have reopened spillway gates at three dams along the Caloosahatchee River. The spillways were opened this week to restore the downstream flow of freshwater, which is necessary to counteract the tides pushing saltwater up the river

Suncoast Searchlight reviewed water-restriction complaints and enforcement records across Sarasota County during Southwest Florida's most severe drought in nearly a decade and found municipalities are taking sharply different approaches to enforcement.