The latest drought monitor was released Thursday, and it's no surprise that the exceptional drought continues across the majority of North Carolina. 85 of the 100 counties in the state are under either an extreme or exceptional drought. The outlook is not good with no soaking rains in the forecast over the next week. Our next chance for rain will come late Sunday into Monday, but we should only receive a quarter of an inch of rain or less from that system.
November 2007 will go down as the driest November on record at RDU. The airport has only seen 0.48" of rain this month. That is just under the 0.50" that did stand as the driest November back in 2001.
Not only are we setting a record for a dry November, we are on the way to setting another record. There have only been 81 days with measurable rain in the Triangle this year. The fewest days in a calendar year with measurable rain was 92 in 1969. With only a month left in the year, we could easily break that record.
2007 will not be the driest year ever in the Raleigh, but it could be in the top 5 driest years since records have been kept around Raleigh (since 1887). As of November 30, RDU has measured 31.36" of rain. Here's a look at the 5 driest years on record --
- 29.93" in 1933
- 32.09" in 1921
- 33.71" in 1976
- 33.92" in 1930
- 34.43" in 1965
Thanks to the National Weather Service Office in Raleigh for providing the above information on drought records around the Triangle.
No comments:
Post a Comment