We hope this newsletter finds you all well.  Across Florida, the mid-point of the summer rainy season is upon us.  In most of Florida, most rainfall is observed during the summer compared to the fall through spring.  An exception to this is seen in the far northern part of the state, roughly north and west of Gainesville, where a secondary wet season occurs from December to February, a time of year when cold fronts press far enough south to bring rains.  

Summer rains tend to arise from convection, which manifests itself as heavy showers or thunderstorms.  These thunderstorms are largely triggered by boundaries (zones of lift) delineated by sea breezes, which are plentiful in a state defined by a peninsula and a panhandle all of whose area resides fairly close to the Gulf of Mexico.  Consequently, on any given day, thunderstorms may affect one area while another area just a few miles, or even blocks, away is unaffected. 

And, therein lies the value of a high-density rainfall-observation network such as CoCoRaHS.   Take a recent day in Leon County (where Tallahassee is located) as an example: 



CoCoRaHS is only as strong as its observers!  So, thank you for your continued efforts for the network.  Your efforts allow a variety of data-users to better understand the spatial variability in rainfall in Florida. 

Happy observing!