Because the state receives little rainfall from November to April, wildfires often spring up then, burning grasses and forests.
Under normal conditions, about 200,000 acres (81,000 hectares) burn every year, Sutphen, the fire prevention officer, said. During the very dry conditions last year, however, more than 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) went up in smoke.
More than 316,000 acres (128,000 hectares) have burned so far this year, noted Kottkamp, the lieutenant governor.
Some of the fires are started by natural causes such as lightning strikes. But the vast majority—as much as 80 percent—is caused by human activity, Sutphen added.
Causes range from children playing with matches to sparks from off-road vehicles to arson, she said.
Tourism Dried Out
The last time Florida had a comparable wildfire outbreak was 1998, when the state went about two months without rainfall during the spring and summer.
Smoke from wildfires was so bad that year that the annual Daytona 400 stock car race was postponed and Walt Disney World in Orlando closed for a day.
David Halstead of the Florida Division of Emergency Management said the 1998 wildfire outbreak burned away a sizable chunk of the state's tourism income.
The decision to postpone the Daytona 400 wiped out about $40 million, he pointed out.
Crisis Conditions
Nelson, the state meteorologist, said the extremely dry conditions could continue well into 2008, especially if a weather phenomenon known as La Niña continues over the Pacific Ocean.
When a La Niña occurs, water temperature in the equatorial Pacific is cooler than usual, which can affect rainfall and lead to drought in the southeastern and southwestern U.S.
The current La Niña formed in early 2006. Nelson said La Niña conditions can last two or three years.
Halstead said Florida is "close to getting into a water crisis situation."
"By the end of the next hurricane season, if we've not received significant tropical moisture, we'll be dealing with things that we've not typically dealt with," Halstead said.
The drought is going to make it more difficult to fight wildfires that break out this winter because firefighters often draw water from lakes and reservoirs, and some of those sources will be too low to use, he said.
Lieutenant Governor Kottkamp and other Florida officials are planning a special conference in January to discuss the threat and make plans for fighting the inevitable wildfires.
Firefighters from other drought-stricken states are expected to attend the conference, he added.
"We're in uncharted territory now," Halstead said. "All we can do is plan for it and try to protect our citizens, cut back on water uses, and do what's prudent."
Willie Drye is the author of Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, published by National Geographic.
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