Did Tropical Storm Barry end our drought?

By: Janie Porter

Shady Hills, Florida – Off a quiet road in Pasco County, grass, brush and dirt stretch as far as the eye can see.

But it’s not really a field. It’s Crews Lake, or at least what’s left of it.

Over the last few years, its refreshing waters have dried up almost completely, leaving a bone-dry bed of brush and weeds.

“It’s gonna be a long-term process,” said Robyn Hanke, of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, as she stood at the base of a long pier that used to start at the water’s edge. Now it’s a wooden walkway on stilts.

Tropical Storm Barry’s drenching over the weekend did, indeed, perk up some of Crews Lake’s landscape, punctuating an endless stretch of brown with refreshing splashes of green.

But Hanke stresses that Barry didn’t bring enough rain to come close to bringing Tampa Bay out of drought.

Before Barry, the Tampa Bay district was in a 17.5 inch rainfall deficit. Barry brought an average of 2.77 inches of rain.

Significant, but still not enough to bring total rainfall even close to non-drought levels.

“You may see some short term effects over the next couple days, some green grass and trees but it’s really going to take long-term above average rainfall for everything to begin to rebound,” Hanke said. “We’re just hoping for drenching rain this summer. We need above average rainfall throughout the summer.”

Without significant rain over the summer, Hanke warns that Tampa Bay may be in for a season of historic lows, similar to the severe drought the area saw several years ago.

Now, only time will tell if Mother Nature leaves Tampa Bay healthy and green, or high and dry.