Solms said at times he purposely stopped talking about rain in order not to jinx its arrival. Rainfall amounts varied widely from 3 to 4 inches near Bok Tower in Lake Wales to a half-inch in Winter Haven, according to the National Weather Service. Between a half-inch and an inch fell in parts of Lakeland, although only .01 inch was recorded as of 5 p.m. at the National Weather Service monitoring station at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. Haines City in Northeast Polk received 1 to 3 inches, the Weather Service said. Roger Griffiths, the executive director of the Lake Region Lakes Management District in Winter Haven, said it was good to see something fall from the sky.
Every little bit helps.
Griffiths said a quarter of an inch of water is evaporating daily from shrinking local lakes. The storm clouds that descended on Polk County came from the northeast and made their way south. Besides raindrops, the clouds produced a severe thunderstorm in Mulberry and a tornado warning in the Plant City area. Lightning started a 25-acre brush fire near Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, sending smoke across the Polk Parkway and Interstate 4. Walt Zaleski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the same wet conditions can be expected today.