Despite Last Weeks Rain And Snow Western N.C. Abnormally Dry As Moderate Drought Condition Exist

Western North Carolina is now experiencing a moderate drought and most of the rest of the state is abnormally dry, officials with the U.S. Drought Monitor announced earlier this week.
Weather models indicate that North Carolina could be facing below normal precipitation and above average temperatures for the rest of March.
“We want people to minimize non-essential uses of water,” said Woody Yonts, chairman of the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council, or DMAC, the state board that monitors climate and advises federal drought officials. “People should use water wisely and follow precautions called for in drought advisories for their specific area.”
Scott Hildebran, Blowing Rock’s Town Manager said this week that municipal reservoirs are at full level now, but that could change if dry conditions continue over an extended period this spring.
“We always closely monitor the level of our water supply,” he said. “We have experienced below normal snowfalls this winter, and rains have been scarce since January. We’ll continue to monitor our situation and if we see any problem will notify our citizens and implement conservation measures.”
The story is the same across the Tar Heel state. While reservoirs in North Carolina re near normal levels, the state’s stream flows and ground water levels are below normal and dropping because of the lack of rainfall. Yonts said that rainfall in the foothills and snow in the High Country in the late winter typically helps maintain normal water levels in streams, water table wells and lakes, and provides reserves for the summer months.
Early spring is the beginning of large demands for water due to new “greening” of plants and trees, public water demand and outdoor water use. With water demand increasing, water supplies could drop fast in the coming months due to the impact of continued dry weather on stream flows and ground water table, Yonts said.
As a consequence of the dry conditions, the state has experienced more wildfires in 2007 than its 10-year average. People are urged no to b urn yard vegetation until the state receives several consecutive days worth of heavy rain. The lack of rainfall coupled with extremely dry, windy air means conditions are ripe for wildfires. The leading cause of wildfires in North Carolina is debris burning.
Blowing Rock ire fighters have been called into action several times over the past few weeks, most on fires from residents burning accumulations of winter leaves and brush. At least two of the calls were to extinguish fires left burning by construction crews, including crews working on building the new four lane highway between Kirby Mountain Road and Blackberry. One of those fires on Thursday closed Highway 321 from Blowing Rock to the base of the mountain, a fire that took most of the early evening and into the dark of night for the Patterson Fire Department to put out and allow the road to be reopened.
“Our advice to citizens in and around the town is to find a better and safer way to dispose of yard debris and other accumulations of brush and trash,” said Blowing Rock Emergency Services Director Kent Graham. “With restrictive burning in town, the dry conditions and the possibility of winds spreading the fire, the danger of an out of control wildfire is simply to risky.”