Rainfall Update

By now, you probably have heard about the upcoming weekend forecast. It's a wet one. Light rain should begin Friday. Off and on rain will likely continue through the weekend and into early next week. Based on the latest weather data this morning, weekend rain totals should add up to about an inch.

While we don't always look forward to a wet weekend, the rainy forecast is not all bad news...

This week's drought monitor shows "abnormally dry" conditions over much of central and eastern North Carolina with drought conditions in western parts of the state. This weekend's rains will help to alleviate some of this year's rainfall deficit.

As of this morning, here's a look at rainfall deficits compared to normal year to date rainfall at select sites in the state --

• Lumberton: -5.96"
• New Bern: -5.43"
• Wilmington: -5.43"
• Asheville: -4.77"
• Raleigh-Durham: -3.13"
• Greensboro: -2.56"
• Asheville: -2.22"