Condition Monitoring Reports Help Confirm Drought Conditions In NC

On Thursday, July 30, 2015, Rebecca Cumbie, extension climatologist with the NC State Climate Office, posted this update to the State Climate Office blog discussing the intensification of drought conditions in North Carolina. Rebecca cites observations submitted by CoCoRaHS condition monitoring observers that help support the drought designations.

This is just one more instance where condition monitoring reports have shown their value.

Keep up the great work everyone!

PRESS RELEASE: Continued Hot Weather and Low Rainfall Puts Catawba-Wateree Basin in Stage 1 of Drought Protocol

Photos of  low water levels submitted by CoCoRaHS condition
monitoring observer Christopher Lumpp. 

The below news release was issued today by the Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group. Now is the time to take note of dry conditions in your area to keep an eye on how this lack of rainfall and high temperatures are affecting your community. Please share these observations in your condition monitoring reports! Step-by-step instructions for submitting a condition monitoring report can be found here.

"The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group (CW-DMAG) today announced continued dry weather conditions and above-average temperatures have placed the Catawba-Wateree River Basin in Stage 1 of the Low Inflow Protocol (LIP).

Stage 1 is the second of five drought stages outlined in the LIP and recommends voluntary water conservation by water users across the Basin, in addition to operational adjustments by Duke Energy. The LIP is the drought management plan major water users in the region employ to share responsibility and set priorities to conserve the limited water supply during drought conditions.

“While some areas of the Basin have received scattered rainfall, the lack of widespread precipitation the past several weeks and high temperatures have resulted in increased drought conditions,” said Ed Bruce, P.E., Duke Energy, CW-DMAG coordinator. “We are asking the community to conserve water and energy as we enter the height of the summer season and the typically drier fall period.”

Continued below normal rainfall and very hot temperatures have pushed two of the three LIP drought indicators (triggers) into Stage 1. Water storage in the 11-reservoir Catawba-Wateree Hydroelectric Project continues to decline and streamflows feeding the reservoirs are well below normal. In addition, the U.S. Drought Monitor trigger indicates most of the Basin is experiencing drought conditions.

Earlier this month, the Catawba-Wateree River Basin entered Stage 0 of the LIP which is a drought watch stage and prompted the CW-DMAG to closely monitor conditions.  After observing declining trends in the triggers, the group decided to proactively declare Stage 1 conditions. 

“We wanted to be proactive in making the community aware of increased drought conditions and ask customers to be mindful of water use,” explained Barry McKinnon, Mooresville Public Utilities Director. “The sooner we start conserving, the better for our region as we work together to preserve our shared water resources.”

The CW-DMAG will continue monitoring the drought conditions and work collectively to protect the water supply and other uses of the Catawba-Wateree River.

The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group (CW-DMAG) was established in 2006 to monitor drought status and to recommend coordinated actions for the CW-DMAG members. CW-DMAG members include the area’s public water suppliers and several large industries withdrawing water from the Catawba-Wateree River and lake system, North Carolina, South Carolina and federal resource agencies and Duke Energy.  The CW-DMAG and the LIP are outcomes of Duke Energy’s relicensing process for the Catawba-Wateree Hydroelectric Project.  The LIP will become part of Duke Energy’s New License which is expected to be issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) later this year. The CW-DMAG meets at least monthly when conditions reach Stage 0 or greater of the LIP. For more information about the CW-DMAG and the LIP, visit www.duke-energy.com/lakes/cwdmag.asp.

If community members have specific questions about recommended measures, they are encouraged to contact their local water supplier." 

A list of local water supplier contacts can be found in the full press release. 

Signs of Drought in the Carolinas

High temperatures and low rainfall during the month of June produced emerging drought conditions in the Carolinas. The South Carolina Drought Response Committee has declared 28 SC counties at the status of incipient drought. Media reports highlight that low levels of rainfall across the Palmetto state have adversely impacted agriculture. Farmers in Orangeburg, SC reported damage to corn crops, forcing some farmers to depend on peanuts and cotton to supplement their losses. Other farmers in Calhoun County face similar challenges with some fields expected to yield as little as 10 percent of normal crop production.

North Carolina is experiencing drought for the first time in two years according to the State Climate Office at N.C. State University. On June 25th the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council updated the status of Mecklenburg and Gaston counties to a moderate drought. NC Climatologist Rebecca Cumbie reports that several locations in the Western Piedmont are below normal rainfall by two inches or more for June. Cumbie also stated that many areas in North Carolina experienced record high mean temperatures during a two week period that ended on June 23rd, which was as much as seven degrees above normal in some areas.


Your condition monitoring reports will prove to be very valuable over the next few weeks and months as we either begin to see more rainfall in the Carolinas to make up for recent deficits or continue to experience dry conditions. Observations of changes you see in your area and impacts to your communities that you include in your condition monitoring reports help to provide on-the-ground information about the onset and intensification of drought and will also help to document recovery from dry conditions if you do get that much needed rain.


So, be sure to take careful note of what's going on around you and submit your condition monitoring reports through the CoCoRaHS website. Click here to view step-by-step instructions for submitting a condition monitoring report. Find additional resources on the condition monitoring project webpage.

Below are a few pictures of dry conditions shared by CoCoRaHS condition monitoring report Melinda Ball from her home in Aiken County, SC.





Dry conditions in Aiken County

Dry conditions in Aiken County