September 2009 Climate Summary - North Carolina
Wet In the West
Ryan Boyles, State Climate Office of North Carolina
Climate Summary
Temperature and Precipitation by Climate Division
Departures from Normal for September 2009
Based on Preliminary Data
The highlight for September 2009 in North Carolina was heavy rain that fell in western NC. Several locations in western NC experienced near-record rainfalls for the month. Damages in western NC were widespread, including flooding, tree, and crop damage. For much of the southern mountains, rain produced damage and flooding not experience since the repeated tropical storm events in 2004.
In central and eastern NC, rainfall was generally below normal for the month. Parts of south-central NC experienced less than half of normal rainfall.
Temperatures in most of North Carolina were cool in September. Only western parts of NC experienced near-normal temperatures for the month.
Precipitation for September 2009
Based on estimates from NWS Radar, Data Courtesy NWS/NCEP
Precipitation for September 2009: Percent of Normal
Based on estimates from NWS Radar, Data Courtesy NWS/NCEP
Impacts to Agriculture
Despite some dry conditions in parts of central and eastern North Carolina, most crops have received timely rainfall and soil moisture conditions in September were generally adequate across the state. Cool temperatures kept evaporation rates low, and dryer conditions helped some growers with harvest. Heavy rainfall in western NC caused damage to crops.
Impacts to Water Resources
Drought concerns in western NC were alleviated with the heavy rainfall west of the I-77 corridor. However, the lack of rainfall in central NC has resulted in streams and reservoirs that continue to be low for this time of the year. While minimal impacts have been observed, moderate drought (D1) was expanded to include much of south-central parts of the state. The NC Drought Management Advisory Council continues to hold weekly monitoring meetings to closely monitor for drought impacts.
Change in US Drought Monitoring Status during July 2009
Provided by DENR Division of Water Resources
