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NOUS42 KILM 051651
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
100 PM EDT MON OCT 5 2009

...SEPTEMBER 2009 PRECIPITATION STATISTICS FOR WILMINGTON, NC...

SEPTEMBER STARTED VERY DRY...CONTINUING THE D0 DROUGHT CONDITIONS
THAT HAD PERSISTED THROUGHOUT THE MAJORITY OF THE YEAR. THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 21ST THE MONTHLY RAINFALL AT WILMINGTON WAS ONLY 1.00 IN.
THINGS CHANGED ON SEPTEMBER 22ND AS A TROPICAL WAVE MOVED INTO THE
AREA BRINGING HEAVY RAIN TO THE WILMINGTON AREA. BY THE 23RD THIS
WAVE HAD WASHED OUT...BUT A SERIES OF WARM FRONTS AND BACK DOOR COLD
FRONTS OSCILLATED AROUND A HIGH PRESSURE WEDGE CONTINUING TO USHER
IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND HEAVY RAIN TO COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA. BY
THE 27TH A STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHED THROUGH AND DRIED OUT THE
AREA...ENDING THE RAIN AT WILMINGTON.



8.84 IN. OF RAIN FELL IN SEPTEMBER. THIS IS THE 18TH WETTEST
SEPTEMBER ON RECORD. OF THE 17 YEARS WITH WETTER SEPTEMBERS...14
FINISHED WITH ABOVE ANNUAL AVERAGE RAINFALL. AS OF OCTOBER 1
WILMINGTON HAS RECEIVED 44.05 IN. THE LONG TERM ANNUAL AVERAGE IS
54.65 IN.


OF THE 8.84 IN. OF RAIN THAT FELL IN SEPTEMBER, 7.84 IN. FELL
BETWEEN 9/22 AND 9/26...THIS IS THE WETTEST 5-DAY PERIOD OF 2009.

3.55 IN. FELL ON 9/22...THIS IS THE 2ND WETTEST DAY OF 2009 (7/6
6.51 IN.)

5.01 IN. FELL 9/22-9/23...THIS IS THE 2ND WETTEST EVENT, AND 3RD
WETTEST 2-DAY TOTAL, OF 2009.

2.83 IN. FELL ON 9/25-9/26...THIS IS THE 3RD WETTEST EVENT, AND 5TH
WETTEST 2-DAY TOTAL, OF 2009.

THE 2-CONSECUTIVE DAYS (ENDING 9/23, ENDING 9/26) WITH RAINFALL
GREATER THAN 1.25 IN. MARK THE ONLY TIMES THIS YEAR WILMINGTON HAS
SEEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH RAINFALL GREATER THAN 1.00 IN.

WILMINGTON HAS HAD 12 DAYS IN 2009 WITH GREATER THAN 1.00 IN. OF
RAINFALL, 4 OF THESE OCCURRED BETWEEN 9/22 AND 9/26.


SINCE 2000...
ONLY EIGHT TIMES HAS WILMINGTON SEEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH RAINFALL
GREATER THAN 1.25 IN. THIS HAS NOT PREVIOUSLY OCCURRED TWICE IN THE
SAME MONTH.


ON RECORD...
THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY 6 OCCURRENCES WHERE GREATER THAN 1.25 IN. OF
RAIN FELL ON 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. NEVER HAS IT HAPPENED ON 4 STRAIGHT
DAYS.


THIS 5-DAY SEPTEMBER RAINFALL WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A NAMED
TROPICAL SYSTEM. SINCE 1950 THIS IS THE WETTEST NON-TROPICAL 5-DAY
SEPTEMBER RAINFALL ON RECORD AT WILMINGTON. THE ONLY 5-DAY PERIODS
THAT EXCEED THIS AMOUNT ARE:

       SEPTEMBER 13-17, 2005 (OPHELIA)
       SEPTEMBER 15-19, 1999 (FLOYD)
       SEPTEMBER 11-15, 1984 (DIANA)
       SEPTEMBER 5-9, 1979 (DAVID)
       SEPTEMBER 26-30, 1958 (HELENE)
       SEPTEMBER 19-23, 1955 (IONE)

ON RECORD...THIS IS THE 9TH WETTEST SEPTEMBER EVENT TO EVER AFFECT
WILMINGTON.

$$

JDW