A History of Lake Okeechobee and The Important Part It Plays In Our Weather

Lake Okeechobee is one of the most talked about lakes in the United States. It has a rich history that dates back 6,000 years. It has always been a major source of water for Florida. Some of Florida’s first descendants lived near the great lake many, many years ago. The name Okeechobee means “big water”.

 

In the early days of the Lake, there were no waterways leading to of from the lake. When the lake overflowed, the water would stream south into the area that is now known as the Everglades. This was the natural pattern before man stepped in and starting building dams and locks.

 

Lake Okeechobee was not even accessible to many of the early explorers, so they actually did not believe that it even existed. The first canals were built in 1880 to allow steamboat travel along the lake and the surrounding rivers. Between 1907 and 1927, the canal that now houses the St Lucie Lock and Dam was built to connect the lake with the St. Lucie River.

 

In 1926 and 1928, huge hurricanes swept across Florida and moved directly over Lake Okeechobee. The strong winds started a “swishing” effect in the large lake that caused extensive flooding and death. Over 3,000 people were killed and 40,000 were left with no place to live. Moore Haven, Belle Glade and Okeechobee city were all flooded. The water was no match for the earthen levees that were initially built to protect areas around the lake. To this day, these areas remain some of the most vulnerable should another category 4 or 5 hurricane pass directly over the lake.

 

After the Great Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928, people who lived near the lake lived in fear of another flood. It was then that the Army Corp of engineers decided to build a dike surrounding the entire lake.

 

Florida has been known for weather extremes during its entire history. The hurricanes that we have seen in 2004 and 2005 were Childs play compared to the storm of 1928. If a storm such as Andrew ever crossed directly over the lake, the results would likely be deadly.

 

In 1947, back-to-back hurricanes again created huge flooding issues from Orlando to Miami. The flood problems lasted for months and months and the residents of Florida knew something needed to be done.

 

In 1948, Congress funded a major project to build a larger and stronger dike around the big lake. The dike was named the Herbert Hoover Dike and it is the existing dike that stands today and was named and completed in 1961.

 

Today, Lake Okeechobee is more then just a source of fresh water. The lake also is used for flood control. With all the people that now live near the lake, flood control is crucial to keep residents safe. When there is a draught, the lake will sometimes fall below acceptable levels and no water is required to be released in order to control the lake level. When flooding rains occur as with tropical systems, the lake levels can rise rapidly putting pressure on the dike. This can cause leaks to form around the lake and if not controlled, the lake levels can get dangerously high. This is when the controversial discharges from the lake become necessary. Unlike the days before people lived in Florida, releases now need to be controlled to protect cities and lives.

 

If you follow the tracks of storms across the state, you will very often see intense squall lines either rip apart or completely split as they cross the lake. The severe weather will often go north towards Sebastian or south towards Palm Beach or possibly both. This scenario happens time and time again often saving areas just to the east of the lake with less weather then areas north or south.

 

The lake has a large enough water area that it can actually help to fuel a hurricane should the eye pass directly over it yet it seems to affect thunderstorms as they cross the lake heading towards the coast.

 

Back in 1981 during a draught period in Florida, the NWS was performing a cloud seeding program over Lake O. Here is the link to that interesting article from the Miami News on August 25, 1981 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19810825&id=EqklAAAAIBAJ&sjid=__MFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4004,1091510 .

 

To me, Lake Okeechobee and weather has been a passion I have had since I moved to Florida in 1980. It is still interesting and exciting even after all these years. I could never read enough stories about the many hurricanes that have come and gone in Florida. With each book, you learn just a little more about our history. In Florida, hurricanes are an important part of our history and heritage.

 

Since 2005, not a single major hurricane has brushed our shores, which leads us into the 2014 season. What might 2014 bring? Since we do not have a crystal ball there is no definitive way to know. What I can say is that there is a good chance of an El Nino developing this summer. El Nino is a warming of the tropical Pacific. This warming can affect weather across the globe. It increases the trade winds blowing across the Atlantic, which in turn helps to thwart hurricane development. But one must remember that it only takes one storm to change a quiet year into a bad one. If we get by with another hurricane free year, it will be 9 years without a storm. That is almost unheard of in Florida.

 

Stay safe this hurricane season and for the latest forecasts, radar and tropical updates visit us at: http://www.joesdiscoweathercentral.com/.

 

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