Chris Mulcahy looks into the exact numbers on how much rain and how much time it would take to cure the drought.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The newest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that 61% of North Carolina is officially in a drought and rain is becoming more dire as wildfires rage in the western part of the state.
Thursday’s update shows that 61% of the state is under a moderate drought, while nearly 95% of the state is abnormally dry. It’s even worse in South Carolina, where 99% of the state is abnormally dry for this time of year.
On average, March averages 3.95 inches of rain in Charlotte and the area is nowhere near hitting that number. This time of year also is one where trees and plants are drinking up more water cause they are growing and budding. Lastly, March and April are the windiest months of the year. Add all those together and we have the making of a serious fire threat to all of the Carolinas.
So how do the Carolinas fix this?
Looking at the numbers the Carolinas not only needs the 10-12 inches of rain it typically averages from mid-March to mid-June, but it also needs to gain a surplus. That means around 130%-160% of the rain we typically have.
The graphic below shows a range. The lower number is the amount of rain needed during that period to overcome a drought in the Charlotte area. The larger number is the amount of rain needed to overcome the drought for the Western Carolinas using Hendersonville as a focal point.
So in summary, over the next 30 days, the western Carolinas would need 9 to 11 inches of rain to return to a non-issue drought status. We were also under a drought-ridden map before Helene wiped the slate clean.
The best and most realistic process would be 1-3 rain events per week with most being long-lived light to moderate rains that really soak into the surface. But that still means 15-19 inches over the next 90 days which is around 4-5 inches extra on top of what normally falls. So Mother Nature has a lot of work to do.
Contact Chris Mulcahy at cmulcahy@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
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