HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Hillsborough County residents will have to keep their lawn sprinklers turned off for most of the week through the rest of the summer. On Tuesday, officials announced that the Southwest Florida Water Management District is extending its Modified Phase III “extreme” water shortage restrictions until Oct. 1, 2026.
Scattered summer rain showers have simply not been enough to break the prolonged drought gripping the Tampa Bay region.
The deep environmental deficit began during a dry 2025 rainy season, leaving the region 13.7 inches behind its average 12-month rainfall total. The dry trend has stretched directly into this year, with May 2026 alone logging an 11.4-inch rainfall deficit. Because of the lack of steady rain, local water resources like rivers and lakes have continued to dry up, dropping to severely low levels…