Drought — Wilkes, North Carolina

2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Wilkes, North Carolina

Event narrative

Severe Drought conditions were declared for nearly all of Wilkes County on November 14th given precipitation from the beginning of October through mid-November was less than 25 percent of normal. The Cooperative Weather Observer at North Wilkesboro (NWBN7) measured only 0.88 inch of precipitation for that 6-week period. NASA SPoRT LIS data estimated that average soil moisture in the top 100 cm of soil was below the 2nd percentile by the middle of the month, and deteriorating. Streamflow for the Reddies River at North Wilkesboro at one point in the middle of the month dipped between the 10th and the 20th percentiles per the USGS WaterWatch website. There were no reported impacts to agriculture and livestock given the late time of the year. Due to the dryness, a burn ban was issued for Wilkes County on November 8th, but was lifted on November 22nd after a significant wetting rainfall occurred to relieve the dryness of leaf litter and fuels.

Wider weather episode

A portion of northwest North Carolina received between 25 and 40 percent of their normal rainfall from the beginning of October through much of November, resulting in an expansion of Severe Drought conditions into this area. The lack of rainfall contributed to a gradual decrease in river and creek stream flows, groundwater and soil moisture across the northwest portion of the state. Impacts on remaining crop harvest were minimal given the growing season had ended with the onset of cooler weather. However, one notable impact was a lack of growth of pasture grasses, forcing ranchers to begin feeding hay to livestock more so and/or earlier than they normally might. The threat of Wildland fire activity was increased during the month given the combination of dry fuels and the seasonal loss of leaf cover/canopy which allowed surface fuels to dry out more readily.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1149751. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.