Daily showers delivering relief to SW Florida

Two stormy days ruined a lot of Southwest Florida weekends, but it made Gerry LaCavera's day.

"It looks like we're in a regular rain pattern now and that's what we needed to see," the wildfire mitigation specialist said about moisture responsible for pushing the drought index for Lee and Collier counties and into a normal range for the season. "Things are looking much better now than they were a week ago. We're in pretty good shape."

Lee and Collier counties are now among the wettest in the state. The Caloosahatchee district of the Florida Division of Forestry out of which LaCavera works saw its readings on the drought index fall 22 points on Sunday alone, making it the only region with a reading under 500 — 497 on a scale that tops out at 800.

Lee County saw the biggest difference, falling l 28 points. Collier dropped 23.

The lower the rating, the better as far as brush fires are concerned.

A map showing the drought index indicates red for the highest readings, those that show the most severe threat in case lightning or a stray match or cigarette connects with overly dry grass and shrub.

The regions that concern fire officials most during the cloudless winter months are still a concern, according to the Division of Forestry. Eastern Lee County is still on the dry side, LaCavera said. Though smoke may still rise, it's likely any flames from any outbreak can be controlled, he added.

A good sign that might be the case is puddles of standing water that have started to appear, he said. Along U.S. 41, the runoff that has not yet been absorbed by a thirsty ground reflected the blue skies of a sunny Monday. Green blades of grass peeked from the tops of suddenly swollen retention ponds across the county.

Kurt Harclerode, lead intergovernmental outreach specialist for the South Florida Water Management District, knows things are looking better below the surface as well.

A rainy summer replenishes groundwater by recharging natural systems and relieves stress on aquifers, reducing demand for sprinklers and lawn watering, he said.

The recent rain has likely made up for a groundwater deficit caused by the dry season, he said.

National Weather Service gauges in Fort Myers logged 1.49 inches Sunday.

However, a few stormy sessions can't alleviate planners' bigger worry, that the aquifer can't fully recover from the dry season during the rains because growth and an accompanying increased demand for water.

"In some areas, that has been the trend," he said.

Wayne Gale, operations manager for Lee County Mosquito Control, is watching for standing water too but not with a mind geared toward sustainability. He's thinking about death.

"We're out there," he said. "We're doing our best to kill them all."

The mosquito count is low for this time of year, he said, but it's getting higher every day.

Workers have a week after rain creates stagnate pools to treat the water where the bugs lay their eggs. After that point, hatchlings are on the loose and looking for blood.

A steady amount of rain ensures that those puddles don't dry up, which can be a problem, Gale said. But water also brings bug busters another ally.

If it rains and keeps raining, eventually fish and other predators will build up in an area, creating a natural mosquito control.

That takes time, though, Gale said, and a steady source of water.

Because of that, the weekly forecast should put a smile on his face, though other people's expressions might cloud.

The National Weather Service is calling for scattered storms through Monday.