By Paola Iuspa-Abbott
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Copyright 2007 South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News

LAKE OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Barry brought some relief to Lake Okeechobee's thirst but not enough to make a dent in South Florida's drought.

About 2 inches of rain fell on the northern part of the lake, bringing the water level to 9.01 feet above sea level as of Sunday morning, up from 8.9 feet Saturday, said Julie Huber, spokeswoman for the South Florida Water Management District. By Sunday, runoff still was flowing into the lake and raising the water level, said National Weather Service specialist Bob Ebaugh.

"It is going to take more than this to bring the lake back to normal," he said.

Lake Okeechobee still is 4 to 5 feet below its average levels, as the region endures a 10-inch rainfall deficit, Huber said. On Thursday, Lake Okeechobee reached a record low of 8.94 feet. On Monday morning it was 8.96 feet.

Tropical Storm Barry made landfall in the Tampa Bay area Saturday morning and later weakened into a tropical depression as it continued northeast across Florida.

The storm, which formed Friday in the Gulf of Mexico, the first day of the 2007 hurricane season, knocked out power to thousands of South Florida customers, opened a hole on Interstate 95 in Lake Worth and likely was to blame for the gusts that sent a section of a crane crashing into the roof of a synagogue in Fort Lauderdale.

Some areas in Palm Beach County received almost 8 inches of rain, the weather service reported. Lake Worth had the most rain -- 7.95 inches Sunday morning. Jupiter got 7.5 inches and Wellington 2.45 inches, Ebaugh said. Northern Broward County received about 3.96 inches of rain this weekend, with Pompano Beach receiving the most -- 4 inches, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kim Brabander.

The storm dropped 6.83 inches of rain at Palm Beach International Airport, Huber said.

So far, June has been the rainiest month of 2007, Ebaugh said. Through May, about 8.9 inches of rain fell in Palm Beach County, which has a rain deficit of 4.67 inches, Ebaugh said. In Broward County, about 9.71 inches fell through May, 6 inches below the normal, Brabander said.

Forecasters predict a dry week ahead, with a 20 percent chance of rain, he said.

Although some weather watchers say the rainy season has begun, it's yet to come, Ebaugh said, and many hope it will come soon to end the severe drought. Ebaugh said many things need to happen for the season to officially start. For example, the dew point has to be 70 degrees for a week or more, he said.

"The rainy season is building up," he said. "Showers and thunderstorms should be the norm in the next few months."

Barry's rains also gave a much-needed soaking to thousands of acres of burning swamp and timberland in northern Florida and southeastern Georgia.

Although the rain was not enough to put out the blazes, officials said it allowed firefighters to focus on hot spots and on areas that were beginning to dry and could catch fire again.

The weekend rain doesn't mean water restrictions will be loosened, Huber said.

The 730-square-mile Lake Okeechobee provides the backup water supply to 5 million South Floridians and needs to be replenished.

"The lake is so dry it will take a long time to recover," she said. "This is the first time that every area of our district has been impacted by a drought. This is a 1-in-100-year event."