Much-needed rain heading this way

However, the area’s dry conditions are expected to persist.

Some of those Easter egg hunts may have to move indoors as rain ahead of a weak cool front could hit Palm Beach County today.

There is a 50 percent chance of rain, with the highest probability in the morning as a front that stretches all the way up the East Coast will bring storms.

“It doesn’t mean everywhere in Palm Beach County is going to see rain Saturday,” explained Barry Baxter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami. “But the moisture is there. We just don’t know how much is going to fall. It could be up to a half-inch of rain in the area.”

Baxter added that this weekend will determine whether Palm Beach County will be moved into “drought conditions” next week. For the month of March, the area has had only 0.8 of an inch of rain. Normal conditions would bring about 4.28 inches in the month, leaving the county with a rain debt of 3.5 inches. Since November, only 8.8 inches has fallen, well below the normal of 18.4 inches.

“This weekend will help, but it will really only slow down the dry conditions from getting worse,” Baxter said.

Today’s temperatures will be close to 80 with a low of 69.

Martin, Broward and MiamiDade counties are all listed as “Very High” in the National Forest Service’s fire danger index. Palm Beach County is listed at “High.”

In Port St. Lucie, a 70-acre wildfire that threatened 40 homes and shut down Florida’s Turnpike was finally brought under control late Thursday. County firefighters set up structure protection around homes and extinguished spot fires in residential yards. Police conducted a doorto-door evacuation of residents along Bella Road, and firefighters removed vegetation behind homes and stopped the wildfire

by encircling the fire perimeter with a bulldozer containment line.

“Most of these homes had defensible space, which allowed firefighters access around the entire home to defend them,” explained firefighter Jeff Curl of the Florida Forest Service. “As embers floated into people’s yards, the moisture-depleted grass and mulch would ignite. A good lesson learned, from this wildfire, is for homeowners to keep their yards well irrigated to prevent the dry grass and mulch from igniting.”

Baxter said the stress of the dry conditions is starting to be seen in trees and yards.

“It’s worse in the southern part of the state,” Baxter said. “And in April, the sun angle will be higher so there will be even more evaporation sucking the water out of the ground.”

The saving grace, Baxter said, is that the Lake Okeechobee water level — the backup source of water in South Florida — is just slightly below normal.

With the rain, there will be a high risk of rip currents in the ocean.

Baxter said there could be some thunderstorms, which would bring even more rain, but those would be isolated with a 20 percent chance.

Rain chances go down significantly for Easter Sunday with a high of 80 and a low of 68.