| North Carolina Drought Conditions |
HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1200 PM EST FRI MAY 2 2008
...DROUGHT/WATER RESOURCE AND FLOOD OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA...
RAINFALL ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA HAS BEEN WELL ABOVE NORMAL
DURING THE PAST 4 WEEKS. THIS IS DUE TO A MORE TYPICAL SPRING
RAINFALL PATTERN WHICH HAS RESULTED IN MIGRATORY LOW PRESSURE AREAS
IMPACTING THE AREAS ON AT LEAST A WEEKLY BASIS. THESE MORE FREQUENT
SYSTEMS HAVE RESULTED IN RAINFALL RANGING FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES (150 TO
200 PERCENT) ABOVE NORMAL SINCE APRIL FIRST.
THIS RELATIVELY WET SPELL HAS BROUGHT YEAR-TO-DATE RAINFALL AMOUNTS
ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA UP TO NEAR NORMAL...ALTHOUGH WE ARE
STILL RUNNING A LONG TERM DEFICIT WHICH IS EVIDENT MAINLY IN DEEPER
SOIL MOISTURE/GROUNDWATER INDICATORS. THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY
TABLE (IN INCHES) OF RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND DEFICITS FOR THE RALEIGH
DURHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (RDU)...THE PIEDMONT TRIAD
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (GSO)...AND THE FAYETTEVILLE AIRPORT (FAY).
SITE RAINFALL RAINFALL DEFICIT RAINFALL RAINFALL DEFICIT
YEAR TO DATE YEAR TO DATE SINCE 1/1/07 SINCE 1/1/07
RDU 13.87 -0.56 49.68 -7.80
GSO 13.36 -0.68 44.83 -12.47
FAY 15.42 -1.25 44.76 -17.35
DROUGHT IMPACTS EASED CONSIDERABLY DURING THE PAST MONTH...
PARTICULARLY STREAM FLOWS AND WATER SUPPLY STORAGE IN RESERVOIRS.
STREAMS...WHICH HAD BEEN FLOWING AT LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF
NORMAL...HAVE REBOUNDED TO NORMAL LEVELS AND HAVE BEGUN TO FALL AT A
SLOWER RATE AFTER RAINFALL ENDS...WHICH INDICATES SOME IMPROVEMENT
IN DEEPER SOIL MOISTURE. PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIRS...WHICH HAD
BEEN OF GREAT CONCERN...HAVE COMPLETELY FILLED...AND NORMAL OUTFLOW
HAS RESUMED FROM POWER GENERATION AND FLOOD CONTROL DAMS.
THE LESSENED IMPACTS RESULTED IN A TWO CATEGORY DOWNGRADE IN DROUGHT
CLASSIFICATION ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. MOST OF THE AREA IS
NOW CATEGORIZED AS D0 (EXCEPTIONALLY DRY)...WITH D1 (MODERATE
DROUGHT) CONDITIONS IN THE WESTERN PIEDMONT...MAINLY THE UPPER CAPE
FEAR AND YADKIN RIVER BASINS.
SHORT TERM FLOOD OUTLOOK
TWO SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAIN DURING THE NEXT WEEK. A
COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE AREA LATE SATURDAY...MAY
3RD...PRODUCING A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT
INTO SUNDAY MORNING. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA LATE
NEXT WEEK. NEITHER OF THESE SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL
HEAVY ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLOODING.
LONG TERM RAINFALL OUTLOOK
THERE IS NO CLEAR CLIMATOLOGICAL INDICATOR THAT MIGHT PRODUCE A
RAINFALL ANOMALY...EITHER ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL...EARLY THIS SUMMER.
AS A RESULT...THE LATEST FORECAST IS FOR NEAR NORMAL RAINFALL FOR
JUNE AND JULY.
ANTECENDENT CONDITIONS ARE RATHER MOIST...BUT IT WOULD STILL REQUIRE
SIGNIFICANT RAIN TO PRODUCE FLOODING ON MAINSTEM RIVERS ACROSS
CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. AN INDIVIDUAL HEAVY RAIN EVENT COULD PRODUCE
FLOODING IN URBANIZED AREAS OR SOME MINOR SHORT TERM RIVER
FLOODING...BUT IT IS UNLIKELY THAT WE WILL RECEIVE ENOUGH RAIN TO
PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT OR LONG TERM FLOODING DURING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1200 PM EST FRI MAY 2 2008
...DROUGHT/WATER RESOURCE AND FLOOD OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA...
RAINFALL ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA HAS BEEN WELL ABOVE NORMAL
DURING THE PAST 4 WEEKS. THIS IS DUE TO A MORE TYPICAL SPRING
RAINFALL PATTERN WHICH HAS RESULTED IN MIGRATORY LOW PRESSURE AREAS
IMPACTING THE AREAS ON AT LEAST A WEEKLY BASIS. THESE MORE FREQUENT
SYSTEMS HAVE RESULTED IN RAINFALL RANGING FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES (150 TO
200 PERCENT) ABOVE NORMAL SINCE APRIL FIRST.
THIS RELATIVELY WET SPELL HAS BROUGHT YEAR-TO-DATE RAINFALL AMOUNTS
ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA UP TO NEAR NORMAL...ALTHOUGH WE ARE
STILL RUNNING A LONG TERM DEFICIT WHICH IS EVIDENT MAINLY IN DEEPER
SOIL MOISTURE/GROUNDWATER INDICATORS. THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY
TABLE (IN INCHES) OF RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND DEFICITS FOR THE RALEIGH
DURHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (RDU)...THE PIEDMONT TRIAD
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (GSO)...AND THE FAYETTEVILLE AIRPORT (FAY).
SITE RAINFALL RAINFALL DEFICIT RAINFALL RAINFALL DEFICIT
YEAR TO DATE YEAR TO DATE SINCE 1/1/07 SINCE 1/1/07
RDU 13.87 -0.56 49.68 -7.80
GSO 13.36 -0.68 44.83 -12.47
FAY 15.42 -1.25 44.76 -17.35
DROUGHT IMPACTS EASED CONSIDERABLY DURING THE PAST MONTH...
PARTICULARLY STREAM FLOWS AND WATER SUPPLY STORAGE IN RESERVOIRS.
STREAMS...WHICH HAD BEEN FLOWING AT LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF
NORMAL...HAVE REBOUNDED TO NORMAL LEVELS AND HAVE BEGUN TO FALL AT A
SLOWER RATE AFTER RAINFALL ENDS...WHICH INDICATES SOME IMPROVEMENT
IN DEEPER SOIL MOISTURE. PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIRS...WHICH HAD
BEEN OF GREAT CONCERN...HAVE COMPLETELY FILLED...AND NORMAL OUTFLOW
HAS RESUMED FROM POWER GENERATION AND FLOOD CONTROL DAMS.
THE LESSENED IMPACTS RESULTED IN A TWO CATEGORY DOWNGRADE IN DROUGHT
CLASSIFICATION ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. MOST OF THE AREA IS
NOW CATEGORIZED AS D0 (EXCEPTIONALLY DRY)...WITH D1 (MODERATE
DROUGHT) CONDITIONS IN THE WESTERN PIEDMONT...MAINLY THE UPPER CAPE
FEAR AND YADKIN RIVER BASINS.
SHORT TERM FLOOD OUTLOOK
TWO SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAIN DURING THE NEXT WEEK. A
COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE AREA LATE SATURDAY...MAY
3RD...PRODUCING A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT
INTO SUNDAY MORNING. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA LATE
NEXT WEEK. NEITHER OF THESE SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL
HEAVY ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLOODING.
LONG TERM RAINFALL OUTLOOK
THERE IS NO CLEAR CLIMATOLOGICAL INDICATOR THAT MIGHT PRODUCE A
RAINFALL ANOMALY...EITHER ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL...EARLY THIS SUMMER.
AS A RESULT...THE LATEST FORECAST IS FOR NEAR NORMAL RAINFALL FOR
JUNE AND JULY.
ANTECENDENT CONDITIONS ARE RATHER MOIST...BUT IT WOULD STILL REQUIRE
SIGNIFICANT RAIN TO PRODUCE FLOODING ON MAINSTEM RIVERS ACROSS
CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. AN INDIVIDUAL HEAVY RAIN EVENT COULD PRODUCE
FLOODING IN URBANIZED AREAS OR SOME MINOR SHORT TERM RIVER
FLOODING...BUT IT IS UNLIKELY THAT WE WILL RECEIVE ENOUGH RAIN TO
PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT OR LONG TERM FLOODING DURING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
| Rainfall since 1/1/2007 at RDU Normal: 58.17 inches Actual: 49.68 inches Deficit: -8.49 inches Updated May 7 at 10:50 PM |
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