DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
125 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008
...SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
SOUTH CAROLINA...
SYNOPSIS...
THE UNITED STATES DROUGHT MONITOR HAS CLASSIFIED PARTS OF DARLINGTON
AND MARLBORO COUNTIES IN SEVERE DROUGHT STATUS. MUCH OF THE REST OF
SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA RANGES FROM
MODERATE DROUGHT TO ABNORMALLY DRY STATUS. THE EXCEPTION IS
GEORGETOWN COUNTY WHERE THERE IS NOT A DROUGHT ANY LONGER.
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
WATER RESTRICTIONS.
SOME MUNICIPALITIES AND WATER PROVIDERS AROUND THE AREA HAVE
ENACTED VOLUNTARY OR MANDATORY CONSERVATION MEASURES. CHECK WITH
YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT OR WATER SERVICE PROVIDER FOR DETAILS.
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
AFTER MUCH BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL FROM MID APRIL TO EARLY
JULY...RAINFALL ACROSS THE AREA HAS BEEN FAIRLY TYPICAL FOR
SUMMER. THIS HAS LED TO IMPROVING DROUGHT CONDITIONS OVER MOST OF
THE AREA SINCE EARLY JULY. THE TABLES BELOW DEPICT OBSERVED
RAINFALL AND DEFICITS FOR SELECTED AUTOMATED OBSERVING SITES
AROUND THE AREA FOR THE PERIODS ENDING JULY 31ST 2008.
WILMINGTON NC
TOTAL NORMAL DEPARTURE PERCENT
RAINFALL VALUE FROM OF
NORMAL NORMAL
ONE MONTH (30 DAYS) 12.43 7.40 5.03 168%
TWO MONTHS (60 DAYS) 16.20 12.82 3.38 126%
THREE MONTHS (90 DAYS) 20.59 17.15 3.44 120%
SIX MONTHS (180 DAYS) 29.60 28.05 1.55 106%
ONE YEAR 46.54 56.95 -10.41 82%
FIFTEEN MONTHS 56.57 73.60 -17.03 77%
LUMBERTON NC
TOTAL NORMAL DEPARTURE PERCENT
RAINFALL VALUE FROM OF
NORMAL NORMAL
ONE MONTH (30 DAYS) 5.38 5.44 -0.06 99%
TWO MONTHS (60 DAYS) 6.42 10.03 -3.61 64%
THREE MONTHS (90 DAYS) 8.67 13.93 -5.26 62%
SIX MONTHS (180 DAYS) 19.67 24.52 -4.85 80%
ONE YEAR 32.12 47.93 -15.81 67%
FIFTEEN MONTHS 36.84 61.36 -24.52 60%
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH SC
TOTAL NORMAL DEPARTURE PERCENT
RAINFALL VALUE FROM OF
NORMAL NORMAL
ONE MONTH (30 DAYS) 8.64 5.04 3.60 171%
TWO MONTHS (60 DAYS) 12.08 8.75 3.33 138%
THREE MONTHS (90 DAYS) 15.16 11.69 3.47 130%
SIX MONTHS (180 DAYS) 24.75 21.67 3.08 114%
ONE YEAR 45.85 46.23 -0.38 99%
FIFTEEN MONTHS 53.57 57.60 -4.03 93%
FLORENCE SC
TOTAL NORMAL DEPARTURE PERCENT
RAINFALL VALUE FROM OF
NORMAL NORMAL
ONE MONTH (30 DAYS) 7.11 5.12 1.99 139%
TWO MONTHS (60 DAYS) 7.28 9.42 -2.14 77%
THREE MONTHS (90 DAYS) 10.86 12.68 -1.82 86%
SIX MONTHS (180 DAYS) 20.75 22.56 -1.81 92%
ONE YEAR 35.58 44.70 -9.12 80%
FIFTEEN MONTHS 47.67 56.98 -9.31 84%
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE WILL RIDGE INTO THE AREA INTO SATURDAY. A COLD
FRONT WILL DROP THROUGH THE AREA SATURDAY AND DISSIPATE AS HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST AND RESULTS IN HOT TEMPERATURES.
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY. WHILE SHOWERS AND STORMS
ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO BE
LIMITED.
FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK...ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL IS EXPECTED. FOR
THE REST OF THE SUMMER...THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER IS CALLING
FOR EQUAL CHANCES OF BELOW NORMAL...NORMAL AND ABOVE NORMAL
RAINFALL.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS.
STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED DUE TO THE RECENT RAINFALL
SUCH THAT GAGING STATIONS ARE GENERALLY IN THE 20TH PERCENTILE OR
GREATER ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. EXCEPTIONS ARE THE PEE DEE RIVER
AT PEE DEE AND THE LYNCHES RIVER AT EFFINGHAM WHERE STREAMFLOW
VALUES ARE BELOW THE 5TH PERCENTILE. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT MOST
GAGING STATIONS IN THE AREA REMAIN BELOW OR AT THE LOW END OF
NORMAL SEASON RANGES.
GIVEN CURRENT RAINFALL EXPECTATIONS...STREAMFLOW VALUES SHOULD
REMAIN THE SAME OR IMPROVE DURING THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. IF NEAR NORMAL
RAINFALL IS RECEIVED OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE SUMMER...STREAMFLOW
VALUES COULD RECOVER TO MORE SEASONAL LEVELS.
GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS.
GROUNDWATER MONITORING WELLS NEAR SOUTHPORT NORTH CAROLINA AND
TIMMONSVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA ARE INDICATING AQUIFER LEVELS THAT ARE
BELOW TO MUCH BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.
SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS.
ACCORDING TO THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...NEAR SURFACE SOIL
MOISTURE LEVELS ACROSS THE AREA ARE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.
NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...
THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON SUNDAY AUGUST 31 2008 OR SOONER IF
NECESSARY IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS.
RELATED WEBSITES...
OUR LOCAL DROUGHT PAGE...
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ilm/hydro/drought.shtml
US DROUGHT MONITOR...
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
NOAA DROUGHT PAGE...
http://www.drought.noaa.gov/
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM...
http://www.drought.gov/portal/server.pt
NC DROUGHT MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL...
http://www.ncdrought.org/
SC DROUGHT INFORMATION...
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/Drought/drought_current_info.php
US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY...
http://water.usgs.gov/
US ARMY CORPS WILMINGTON DISTRICT...
http://epec.saw.usace.army.mil/
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...
THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING NOAA'S
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...THE
USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE NATIONAL
DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN
GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...STATE COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION SERVICES...THE USDA...USACE AND USGS.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION
STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
2015 GARDNER DRIVE
WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA 28405
PHONE: 910-762-4289
ILM.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV
RAN