Updated: September 2, 2011

Synopsis...

HURRICANE IRENE DROPPED AN AVERAGE OF 6 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN OVER
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THIS AMOUNT OF RAINFALL IN A RELATIVELY
SHORT PERIOD OF TIME EFFECTIVE ENDED THE DROUGHT ACROSS EASTERN
NORTH CAROLINA.

DROUGHT DESIGNATIONS ARE DETERMINED WEEKLY BY THE U.S. DROUGHT
MONITOR...IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA DROUGHT MONITOR
ADVISORY COUNCIL.

Summary of Impacts...

SOIL MOISTURE AND GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS.
THE RECENT ABUNDANT PRECIPITATION HAS RESULTED IN A DRASTIC SHORT
TERM CHANGE IN STREAMFLOWS OVER EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. STREAMFLOWS
ARE NOW RUNNING AT ABOVE AVERAGE TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE LEVELS OVER
THE AREA...WHEREAS PRIOR TO HURRICANE IRENE STREAMFLOWS WERE NEAR
TO OR AT RECORD LOW LEVELS.

FIRE DANGER HAZARDS.
RECENT RAINFALL AND FIRE MANAGEMENT EFFORTS HAS REDUCED THE
IMPACTS OF WILDFIRES OVER EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

Climate Summary...

AT NEW BERN NC...PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE IRENE
HELPED RESULT IN AN ABOVE AVERAGE MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTAL FOR
AUGUST. THIS IS THE FIRST ABOVE AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION
AMOUNT IN 2011. IN AUGUST...NEW BERN RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 9.80
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION COMPARED TO THE NORMAL MONTHLY TOTAL OF
6.65 INCHES...WHICH REPRESENTS A 3.15 INCH SURPLUS FOR THE MONTH.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE SUMMARIZES 2011 PRECIPITATION AND DEPARTURE
FROM NORMAL AT NEW BERN NC THROUGH AUGUST.

MONTH  PRECIPITATION(INCHES)/DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL AT NEW BERN NC
            
JANUARY                 2.85/-1.92
FEBRUARY                3.23/-0.57
MARCH                   2.41/-2.08
APRIL                   1.56/-1.84 
MAY                     0.47/-3.72
JUNE                    2.66/-2.14
JULY                    3.04/-3.13
AUGUST                  9.80/+3.15

2011 TOTAL             26.02/-10.78

NORMAL (%)                 71

Precipitation and Temperature Information...

BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ARE
EXPECTED OVER EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF
SEPTEMBER.

BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED
DURING THE SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER.

Hydrologic Summary & Outlook...

THE CURRENT HIGH STREAMFLOWS OVER EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA WILL SHOW
A SLOW DECLINE OVER THE NEXT WEEK OR SO AS THE EFFECTS OF EXCESSIVE
PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE IRENE WANE.

Next Issuance Date...

THIS WILL BE THE LAST DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THE
RECENTLY ENDED DROUGHT OVER EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

More Drought Information...

River and Streamflow Information...