Most damage is north of the Tampa Bay area, which soaks up much- needed precipitation.
The storms dropped up to 3 inches of rain in some places and will bring more showers today, and possibly through the weekend. The rain won't end the state's two-year drought, but it will ease the extreme dryness throughout Florida, reducing the chance of wildfire. In fact, March will be the first month since last summer that the Tampa Bay area has had above-average rainfall. Despite widespread damage, few injuries were reported as the storms raced across North and Central Florida at 40 mph. Pinellas and Hillsborough counties were relatively unscathed, other than a few power failures.