HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 700 PM EDT WED APR 16 2008
...LITTLE CHANGE IN DROUGHT SITUATION ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER BASIN OF GEORGIA...
TIMELY RAINS OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS HAVE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO THE DROUGHT IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA. RAINS OF AS MUCH AS 3 TO 4 INCHES OCCURRED ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN AND NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA WITH 1 TO 3 INCH AMOUNTS ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA. RAINFALL WAS 2 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL IN THE HEAVY RAIN AREAS...WITH NORMAL TO ABOUT 1 INCH BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA.
VEGETATION IS BEGINNING TO GROW RAPIDLY ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER BASIN OF GEORGIA WHICH WILL INCREASE DEMAND ON AVAILABLE SOIL MOISTURE.
THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA DROUGHT RESPONSE COMMITTEE HELD A MEETING TODAY...APRIL 16...AND MADE THE FOLLOWING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE DROUGHT STATUS OF THE STATE. THE UPSTATE REGION REMAINS IN A SEVERE DROUGHT INCLUDING LAURENS...UNION...CHESTER AND LANCASTER COUNTIES. THE SAVANNAH RIVER BASIN SOUTH TO HAMPTON AND COLLETON AND NORTH TO ORANGEBURG TO SALUDA COUNTIES AND EAST TO KERSHAW COUNTIES IS NOW IN A MODERATE DROUGHT. THE REST OF THE STATE WAS DESIGNATED TO BE IN AN INCIPIENT DROUGHT. FOR A MAP OF THE DROUGHT AREA IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND OTHER DROUGHT INFORMATION...GO TO THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/
...LOCAL CLIMATE TABLE...
PRECIPITATION FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH APRIL 15 2008
STATION PRECIPITATION DEPARTURE PERCENT OF NORMAL
COLUMBIA SC 12.40 INCHES MINUS 2.34 INCHES 84 PERCENT AUGUSTA GA 13.89 INCHES MINUS 0.94 INCHES 94 PERCENT
PRECIPITATION FROM APRIL 1 THROUGH APRIL 15 2008
COLUMBIA SC 2.49 INCHES PLUS 0.84 INCHES 151 PERCENT AUGUSTA GA 1.66 INCHES PLUS 0.05 INCHES 103 PERCENT
... SOIL MOISTURE...
SOIL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO IMPROVE FROM THE LOW LEVELS THAT WERE REACHED LAST DECEMBER 2007. THIS IS REFLECTED IN THE PALMER DROUGHT SEVERITY INDEX. THE LATEST NUMBERS ARE FOR DATA THROUGH APRIL 12. THE NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS WITH THE CHANGE FROM THE DATA FOR MARCH 29.
AREA PDSI CATEGORY CHANGE NC SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 1.89 DRY SIDE OF NORMAL BETTER NE SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 0.37 NORMAL BETTER WC SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 1.07 DRY SIDE OF NORMAL WORSE C SOUTH CAROLINA PLUS 0.03 NORMAL WORSE S SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 0.28 NORMAL WORSE NE GEORGIA MINUS 0.27 NORMAL WORSE EC GEORGIA PLUS 0.38 NORMAL WORSE
LEGEND A READING: BETWEEN PLUS 1.00 AND PLUS 1.99 MOIST SIDE OF NORMAL BETWEEN PLUS 0.99 AND MINUS 0.99 NORMAL BETWEEN MINUS 1.00 AND MINUS 1.99 DRY SIDE OF NORMAL BETWEEN MINUS 2.00 AND MINUS 2.99 MODERATE DROUGHT BETWEEN MINUS 3.00 AND MINUS 3.99 SEVERE DROUGHT LESS THAN MINUS 4.00 EXTREME DROUGHT
THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR VALID ON APRIL 8 SHOWS MORE IMPROVEMENT IN THE DROUGHT ACROSS THE REGION. THE LATEST DROUGHT MONITOR WILL BE RELEASED ON THURSDAY APRIL 17 2008.
D3...EXTREME DROUGHT...CONTINUES ACROSS NORTHWEST SOUTH CAROLINA AND BACK WEST ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA WITH THE SOUTHERN BORDER EXTENDING INTO NORTHERN MCCORMICK COUNTY FROM NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND NORTHEAST TO NORTHERN LANCASTER COUNTY. THE FAR NORTHWEST WAS IN D2...SEVERE DROUGHT.
D2...SEVERE DROUGHT...WAS FOUND SOUTH OF THE D3 AREA WITH THE SOUTHERN BORDER EXTENDING ACROSS SOUTHERN MCCORMICK COUNTY INTO EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND NORTHEAST TO NORTHWEST CHESTERFIELD COUNTY.
D1...MODERATE DROUGHT...WAS FOUND SOUTH OF THE D2 AREA WITH THE SOUTHERN BORDER EXTENDING FROM EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA ACROSS NORTHWEST AIKEN COUNTY AND NORTHEAST TO NORTHEAST MARLBORO COUNTY.
D0...ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS...COVERED THE REST OF SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH OF THE D1 AREA BUT THE FAR SOUTHWEST CORNER INCLUDING SOUTHERN PARTS OF ALLENDALE COUNTY...WESTERN BEAUFORT COUNTY AND ALL OF JASPER COUNTY WHERE NO DROUGHT WAS DESIGNATED.
...RIVER AND STREAM FLOW...
OVER THE PAST 14 DAYS BELOW NORMAL STREAM FLOW WAS FOUND IN THE SAVANNAH...EDISTO...SALUDA...CONGAREE AND THE SANTEE RIVER BASINS. NORMAL FLOW WAS FOUND IN THE BROAD...CATAWBA AND PEE DEE RIVER BASINS. A SNAPSHOT OF SELECTED RANKED GAGES SHOWED THAT FLOW WAS 64 PERCENT OF MEDIAN FLOW AND 32 PERCENT STILL HAD LESS THAN 10 PERCENTILE FLOW AND 32 PERCENT HAD FLOW IN THE 10 TO 24 PERCENTILE FLOW.
DATA PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
...RESERVOIR LEVELS...
THERE HAS BEEN SOME LESSING IN THE RISES OF SELECTED RESERVOIR POOL ELEVATIONS WITH LAKES GREENWOOD AND RUSSELL SHOWING A FALL WHILE LAKES MURRAY...THURMOND AND MARION SHOWING A SLIGHT RISE.
DATA PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND THE U.S. ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS.
...CLIMATE OUTLOOK...
LOW CHANCES OF SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND ACROSS THE AREA WITH THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE SATURDAY. THESE SLIGHT CHANCES OF RAIN WILL EXTEND INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
THE 6 TO 10 DAY FORECAST VALID FROM APRIL 22 TO APRIL 26 2008 CALLS FOR A 33 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHWEST HALF OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND INTO NORTHEAST GEORGIA WITH EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THERE IS EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH BASIN OF GEORGIA.
THE 8 TO 14 DAY OUTLOOK VALID FROM APRIL 24 TO APRIL 30 2008 CALLS FOR A 33 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER BASIN OF GEORGIA AND EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
THE OUTLOOK FOR APRIL 2008 CALLS FOR 33 PERCENT CHANCE OF BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN TWO THIRDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA INTO EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA WITH EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER THE NORTHWESTERN THIRD OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THERE IS A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA IN APRIL 2008.
THE 3 MONTH OUTLOOK FOR APRIL...MAY AND JUNE 2008 CALLS FOR EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA AND A 33 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE SAVANNAH RIVER BASIN OF GEORGIA.
...OUTLOOK FOR THE DROUGHT...
TIMELY RAINS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION...HOWEVER WARMER TEMPERATURES AND ACTIVE VEGETATION GROWTH WILL PUT INCREASING DEMANDS ON AVAILABLE SOIL MOISTURE. THE LONG RANGE OUTLOOKS ARE UNCERTAIN ABOUT FUTURE PRECIPITATION. TIMELY RAINS WILL CONTINUE TO BE NEEDED TO PREVENT DETERIORATION OF SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS.
THE NEXT DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED ON THURSDAY MAY 2 2008.