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Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS Columbia, SC
Issued by NWS Columbia, SC
000
AXUS72 KCAE 211723 CCD
DGTCAE
GAC033-073-181-189-245-SCC003-009-011-017-025-027-037-039-055-057-061
-063-065-071-075-079-081-085-171300-
DROUGHT STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
120 PM EDT THU MAR 21 2013
...NORMAL TO BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION STOPS IMPROVEMENT IN
DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTH CAROLINA MIDLANDS AND THE
CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA...
...SYNOPSIS...
OVER THE LAST 30 DAYS ENDING THIS MORNING...NORMAL TO BELOW NORMAL
PRECIPITATION OCCURRED ACROSS THE NORTHERN THREE QUARTERS OF SOUTH
CAROLINA INTO THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA...NORMAL TO 2 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL.
THE SOUTHERN QUARTER OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND EASTERN GEORGIA JUST WEST
OF THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH AREA HAD MORE WITH AMOUNTS RANGING FROM A
HALF INCH TO 2 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. A LARGE PART OF SOUTHERN SOUTH
CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA HAD MORE THAN THAT WITH AMOUNTS AS
HIGH AS 4 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
SEE WWW.WATER.WEATHER.GOV/PRECIP/ FOR MORE DETAILS.
...SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
THE STATE FORESTRY COMMISSION REPORTED SCATTERED WILD FIRES ACROSS
THE STATE. ALL ARE UNDER CONTROL.
THE UNITED STATES CORP OF ENGINEERS WILL CONTINUE RELEASING 4000 CFS
FROM LAKE THURMOND THROUGH AT LEAST MARCH 08 2013.
LITTLE CHANGE HAS BEEN NOTED IN THE GEORGIA DROUGHT WITH THE MAXIMUM
DROUGHT IN THE STATE STILL AT SEVERE...D2...MOSTLY IN CENTRAL...EAST
CENTRAL AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN GEORGIA.
GO TO DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE GEORGIA DROUGHT.
...SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS...
THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR VALID ON MARCH 21 2013 FOR DATA THROUGH
MARCH 19 2013 SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE FROM THAT OF FEBRUARY 28 2013.
...DETAILS...
D2...SEVERE DROUGHT...CONTINUED OVER LINCOLN...MCDUFFIE...COLUMBIA
AND RICHMOND COUNTIES IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA.
D2...SEVERE DROUGHT...WAS ALSO OVER WEST CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
WEST OF A LINE FROM NORTHEAST GEORGIA ACROSS CENTRAL ABBEVILLE
COUNTY TO CENTRAL GREENWOOD COUNTY TO CENTRAL BARNWELL COUNTY
BACK SOUTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.
D1...MODERATE DROUGHT...SURROUNDED THE D2 AREA AND COVERED
MUCH OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA...SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM NORTHEAST GEORGIA ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHERN ANDERSON COUNTY
TO NORTHERN YORK COUNTY TO NORTHERN LANCASTER COUNTY TO NORTH
CAROLINA...AND NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM NORTH CAROLINA ACROSS
NORTHEAST MARLBORO COUNTY TO NORTHERN ORANGEBURG COUNTY TO CENTRAL
BEAUFORT COUNTY TO THE ATLANTIC COAST.
D1...MODERATE DROUGHT...WAS OVER BURKE COUNTY IN GEORGIA AS WELL.
D0...ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS...WAS NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE D1
AREA SOUTH OF A LINE FROM NORTHEAST GEORGIA ACROSS NORTHERN
ANDERSON COUNTY TO NORTHWEST CHEROKEE COUNTY INTO NORTH CAROLINA THEN
NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM NORTH CAROLINA ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST HORRY
COUNTY TO NORTH CENTRAL FLORENCE COUNTY TO FAR EASTERN BEAUFORT
COUNTY TO THE ATLANTIC COAST.
THE REST OF SOUTH CAROLINA WAS DROUGHT FREE.
GO TO DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU FOR MORE DETAILS.
...SOUTH CAROLINA DROUGHT COMMITTEE...
THE SOUTH CAROLINA DROUGHT RESPONSE COMMITTEE HAVE MADE NO CHANGES
TO THE JANUARY 31 2013 DESIGNATIONS.
THE COMMITTEE USES SEVERAL INDICATORS TO DETERMINE THE DROUGHT
STATUS OF WHICH THE UNITED STATES DROUGHT MONITOR IS ONLY ONE.
SO...NEWBERRY...SALUDA...LEXINGTON...MCCORMICK...EDGEFIELD...
BARNWELL ...AIKEN...BAMBERG AND ORANGEBURG COUNTIES CONTINUE TO BE
IN MODERATE DROUGHT
AND FAIRFIELD...LANCASTER...CHESTERFIELD...LEE...SUMTER...CALHOUN...
RICHLAND...KERSHAW AND CLARENDON COUNTIES CONTINUE TO BE IN
INCIPIENT DROUGHT.
...GROUND WATER CONDITIONS...
THE GROUND WATER NETWORK MAINTAINED BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY WAS USED IN THIS REPORT. GROUND WATER LEVELS FROM MARCH 21
2013 SHOWED SOME DETERIORATION AT BOTH BERKELEY COUNTY AIRPORT AND
AT CHESTER COUNTY WITH BAKER CREEK STATE PARK SHOWING SOME
IMPROVEMENT. HOWEVER GROUND WATER LEVELS CONTINUE TO BE LOW.
A HIGHER NUMBER MEANS A LOWER WATER TABLE AND THEREFORE LESS GROUND
WATER. A MINUS DIFFERENCE INDICATES LESS GROUND WATER.
BAKER CREEK STATE PARK WELL
FEBRUARY 28 2013 43.00 FEET
MARCH 21 2013 42.96 FEET
DIFFERENCE PLUS 0.04 FEET
BERKELEY COUNTY AIRPORT
FEBRUARY 28 2013 59.69 FEET
MARCH 21 2013 59.70 FEET
DIFFERENCE MINUS 0.01
CHESTER COUNTY
FEBRUARY 28 2013 93.46 FEET
MARCH 21 2013 93.67 FEET
DIFFERENCE MINUS 0.21 FEET
...RIVER AND STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS...
OVER THE LAST 28 DAYS ENDING ON MARCH 20 2013...ONLY THE PEE DEE
RIVER BASIN HAD BELOW NORMAL FLOWS...BETWEEN 10 AND 24 PERCENTILE
RANGE. THE REST OF THE RIVER BASINS AND SOUTH CAROLINA INCLUDING THE
SAVANNAH RIVER BASIN CONTINUE NOT BE IN HYDROLOGIC DROUGHT.
A SNAPSHOT OF RANKED RIVERS AND STREAM GAGES ON MARCH 21 2013
SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION WITH 64 PERCENT OF RANKED GAGES
REPORTING LESS THAN 25 PERCENTILE RANGE. SELECTED RANKED GAGES
ON MARCH 21 2013 SHOWED 72 PERCENT OF MEDIAN FLOW.
DATA SOURCE...UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
...RESERVOIRS...
4 OF THE 6 RESERVOIRS IN THE TABLE BELOW HAD RISES AND ONE
REPORTED A FALL IN LEVELS OVER THE PAST 3 WEEKS.
LAKE RUSSELL LAKE THURMOND
FEBRUARY 28 2013 472.75 FEET 321.54 FEET
MARCH 21 2013 474.50 FEET 321.77 FEET
DIFFERENCE PLUS 1.75 FEET PLUS 0.23 FEET
LAKE GREENWOOD LAKE MURRAY
FEBRUARY 28 2013 437.26 FEET 357.84 FEET
MARCH 21 2013 437.56 FEET 358.24 FEET
DIFFERENCE PLUS 0.30 FEET PLUS 0.40 FEET
LAKE MARION LAKE WATEREE
FEBRUARY 28 2013 74.63 FEET 97.36 FEET
MARCH 21 2013 75.38 FEET 97.19 FEET
DIFFERENCE PLUS 0.75 FEET MINUS 0.17 FEET
THE LEVEL OF LAKE THURMOND WAS 6.03 FEET BELOW AVERAGE AND THE
LEVEL OF LAKE RUSSELL WAS 0.22 FEET BELOW AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF
YEAR. THE LEVEL OF LAKE WATEREE WAS 0.19 FEET ABOVE THE 97.0 FOOT
TARGET LEVEL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.
DATA FOR THIS SEGMENT WAS GATHERED FROM THE UNITED STATES
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY...THE UNITED STATES ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS
AND DUKE ENERGY.
...CLIMATE SUMMARY...
PRECIPITATION FROM JANUARY 01 2013 THROUGH MARCH 20 2013
STATION PRECIPITATION DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL PERCENT OF NORMAL
COLUMBIA SC 8.02 INCHES MINUS 1.66 INCHES 83 PERCENT
AUGUSTA GA 10.94 INCHES PLUS 0.30 INCHES 103 PERCENT
ORANGEBURG SC 9.26 INCHES MINUS 0.79 INCHES 92 PERCENT
...PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
NEAR TERM...SEE THE ZONE AND GRIDDED FORECASTS FOR THE CHANCE OF
RAIN OVER THE NEXT 7 DAYS AT WEATHER.GOV/CAE.
...8 TO 14 DAY OUTLOOK...
THE 8 TO 14 DAY TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FROM MARCH 28 2013 TO APRIL
03 2013 CALLS FOR A 50 TO 60 PERCENT CHANCE OF BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA.
THE 8 TO 14 DAY PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FROM MARCH 28 2013 TO APRIL
03 2013 CALLS FOR A 33 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA.
...MONTHLY OUTLOOK...
THE TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FOR APRIL 2013 CALLS FOR A 33 PERCENT
CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA
AND GEORGIA.
THE PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FOR APRIL 2013 CALL FOR A 33 TO 40 PERCENT
CHANCE OF BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA
EXCEPT FOR THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF GEORGIA AND FAR NORTHWEST
SOUTH CAROLINA WHERE THERE IS AN EQUAL CHANCE OF ABOVE...BELOW OR
NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
...THREE MONTHLY OUTLOOK...
THE THREE MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FOR APRIL...MAY AND JUNE OF
2013 CALLS FOR A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA.
THE THREE MONTH PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FOR APRIL...MAY AND
JUNE OF 2013 CALLS FOR EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL
PRECIPITATION ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA EXCEPT
FAR SOUTHERN GEORGIA WHERE THERE IS A 33 PERCENT CHANCE OF BELOW
NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
GO TO THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER WEB PAGE AT WWW.CPC.NOAA.GOV IN
LOWER CASE LETTERS FOR MORE DETAILS AND THE LATEST OUTLOOKS.
...HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
NEAR TERM OUTLOOKS FAVOR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE
ENTIRE AREA ALONG WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WHICH WILL
MITIGATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. LONGER TERM OUTLOOKS THROUGH
APRIL FAVOR BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
WHICH FAVORS DETERIORATION. LONGER TERM OUTLOOKS THROUGH JUNE
2013 ARE MORE UNCERTAIN.
AS A RESULT...LOOK FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE DROUGHT DUE TO THE MID TERM
OUTLOOKS FAVORING ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES.
THE NEXT UPDATE OF THIS DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE THURSDAY APRIL
18 2013 UNLESS THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES.
...RELATED WEB SITES...
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE CURRENT DROUGHT MAY BE FOUND AT THE
FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...HTTP://DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU
NOAA DROUGHT PAGE...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.GOV/DROUGHT
NWS COLUMBIA DROUGHT PAGE...HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CAE/DROUGHT.PHP
SC FORESTRY COMMISSION...WWW.STATE.SC.US/FOREST/SCFIRES.HTM
ADDITIONAL RIVER AND LAKE INFORMATION:
NWS...HTTP://WWW.WATER.WEATHER.GOV/AHPS2/INDEX.PHP?WFO=CAE
USACE...HTTP:/WATER.SAS.USACE.ARMY.MIL/HOME
USGS...HTTP://WWW.USGS.GOV
...ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...
THE UNITED STATES DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING
NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA
CENTER...THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE
NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT
HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...STATE
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE...THE USDA...USACE...DUKE ENERGY AND
THE USGS.
...QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS...
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT STATEMENT
PLEASE CONTACT...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
2909 AVIATION WAY
WEST COLUMBIA SC 29170
PHONE: 803-822-8135
INTERNET ADDRESS W-CAE.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV
$$
LAMBERTY
- National Weather Service
- Columbia, SC Weather Forecast Office
- 2909 Aviation Way
- West Columbia, SC 29170-2102
- (803) 822-8135
- Page Author: CAE Webmaster
- Web Master's E-mail: cae.webmaster@noaa.gov
- Page last modified: May 1st, 2013 15:31 UTC