Drought — Greater Rutherford, North Carolina

2008-08-01 to 2008-08-31 · Greater Rutherford, North Carolina

Wider weather episode

Dry weather persisted across much of the area for most of August, although portions of the North Carolina Piedmont began to see relief from the dry conditions early in the month, due to an increase in daily thunderstorm activity. Elsewhere, exceptional drought conditions persisted and even expanded slightly westward to cover more of far western North Carolina and northeast Georgia. During the early part of the month, flows on most of the major streams across the area were running at record low levels, with the French Broad River setting a minimum flow record that had stood for almost 100 years. Only a handful of streams were running at more than 1 to 7 percent of normal. Groundwater levels were 2-5 feet below normal. Significant agricultural impacts persisted, with losses to summer crops, including hay, estimated at 30%. The dry weather also affected the livestock industry, due to shortages of pasture crops necessary for feeding.

By the end of the month, Tropical Storm Fay had dropped up to 11 inches of rainfall across the area, providing some relief from the drought conditions, especially across the North Carolina Piedmont.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 132631. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.