South Florida and the Florida Keys have been inundated with rain for the past several days, but it is far from enough for water managers to even consider easing water restrictions.

The Keys have received about 1 inch to 3 inches of rain since Monday, but have a lot of catching up to do. The area historically sees about 10 inches of rain between January and May, but this year has seen less than 4 to 6 inches between Islamorada and Key West, according to the National Weather Service's chief meteorologist in the Key West office, Matt Strahan.

More rainstorms are expected throughout the week and weekend, as several weather systems continue to stall over the area.

"Any rain is welcome, but a two- or three-day rain event is not enough to make a huge difference," South Florida Water Management District spokesman Nestor Yglesia said. "It took a long time to get to where we are. It's been a long dry season, and the recent rains are not enough to get us out of this."

The storms concern more than watering restrictions.

Extreme weather on Tuesday morning had National Hurricane Center officials contemplating sending the "hurricane hunter" airplane out to observe a low-pressure system off the Bahamas that appeared to have the potential to turn into a tropical storm, Strahan said.

The system fizzled and the flight was canceled, to the relief of those organizing the sinking of the USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg as an artificial wreck. Weather permitting, the scuttling is scheduled for next Wednesday, but Strahan cautioned that he cannot accurately forecast that far in advance.

This week's storms so far have not prompted a call to postpone the momentous occasion, which organizers are trying to accomplish before the June 1 start of hurricane season.

The rain comes as South Florida is experiencing its driest winter since 1932. Several Florida City monitoring wells, which the Aqueduct Authority uses to indicate supplies, are drying up and showing their highest saltwater content in 20 years. Lake Okeechobee, the main water source for much of South Florida, is 3 feet below its historical average, Yglesia said.

The water management district recently cut back on the number of watering days a week from two to one.

"We are cautiously optimistic about the rains, but we are not comfortable enough to ease any of the restrictions," Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority spokeswoman Colleen Tagle said.

The utility will continue to operate its Stock Island desalination plant on the weekends, which costs about $9,000 a day and produces 1.5 million gallons a day. The Keys use 17 million gallons a day.

tohara@keysnews.com