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Drought of 1980-82 in southeast Florida with comparison to the 1961-62 and 1970-71 droughts

Water-Resources Investigations Report 85-4152
Prepared in cooperation with the South Florida Water Management District
By:
https://doi.org/10.3133/wri854152

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Abstract

South-central Florida (the Kissimmee Basin) experienced a severe drought during 1980-82, causing Lake Okeechobee--the largest surface-water storage area in south Florida--to reach the lowest stage ever recorded, 9.75 feet above sea level, on July 29, 1981. A prolonged period of deficient rainfall extended from June 1980 to March 1982. On the southeast coast, drought conditions were mitigated on August 16, 1981, when rainfall from Tropical Storm Dennis replenished the coastal aquifers and filled the water conservation areas to near scheduled levels. South Dade County was the only area in south Florida not affected by the drought. Rainfall in the southeast coastal areas had a statistical recurrence ranging from 5 to 20 years whereas the recurrence intervals from some stations in south-central Florida were in excess of 100 years. The 1980-81 drought in southeast Flrodia was not as severe as the 1961-62 or the 1970-71 droughts in terms of rainfall conditions or the effect on water levels. The effects of the drought were less severe because of a combination of water-management practices and periodic rainfall during the otherwise rain-deficient period. (USGS)

Suggested Citation

Waller, B., 1985, Drought of 1980-82 in southeast Florida with comparison to the 1961-62 and 1970-71 droughts: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 85-4152, iv, 29 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/wri854152.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Drought of 1980-82 in southeast Florida with comparison to the 1961-62 and 1970-71 droughts
Series title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number 85-4152
DOI 10.3133/wri854152
Year Published 1985
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center
Description iv, 29 p.
Country United States
State Florida
Additional publication details