Note that if drought conditions are not being experienced, or in the case of river flooding or heavy rain, this statement may be used to indicate river flows or flood potential.
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GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-
160830-
HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
430 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2008
...HEAVY RAINS ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH
RIVER BASIN OF GEORGIA ON SUNDAY MORNING PROVIDED SOME NEEDED
RELIEF TO HELP PREVENT RE-INTENSIFICATION OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS...
AN AVERAGE OF AROUND ONE INCH OF RAIN FALL ACROSS THE AREA
ON THE EVENING OF THE 10TH AND THE MORNING OF THE 11TH OF MAY.
THIS RAIN PROVIDED SOME MORE RELIEF FROM THE ON ONGOING DROUGHT
ACROSS THE AREA. RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 14 DAYS ENDING ON THE
AFTERNOON OF MAY 14TH SHOWED AN AVERAGE OF ONLY A HALF TO ONE INCH
OF RAIN ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST
GEORGIA. AROUND 1.5 TO 3 INCHES FELL ACROSS MOST OF THE SOUTHERN
TWO THIRDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND INTO EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA WITH
ONLY A HALF TO 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN ACROSS THE FAR SOUTH OF SOUTH
CAROLINA.
PRECIPITATION STILL WAS 1 TO 2 INCHES BELOW NORMAL ACROSS
NORTHWEST SOUTH CAROLINA INTO NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND OVER FAR SOUTH
SOUTH CAROLINA AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA. RAINFALL RANGED FROM 0.5
INCHES BELOW NORMAL TO 2 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS MUCH OF THE
SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
THE GROWING SEASON IS APPROACHING IT PEAK ACTIVITY AND WITH WARMER
WEATHER...DEMANDS ON SOIL MOISTURE ARE INCREASING.
THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA DROUGHT RESPONSE COMMITTEE CONTINUES
TO DECLARE THE UPSTATE REGION TO BE 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 COUNTY ARE 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 FOR OTHER DROUGHT
INFORMATION GO TO THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: WWW.DNR.SC.GOV/CLIMATE/SCO
ALL IN LOWER CASE LETTERS.
...LOCAL CLIMATE TABLE...
PRECIPITATION FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH MAY 13 2008
STATION PRECIPITATION DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL PERCENT OF NORMAL
COLUMBIA SC 14.78 INCHES MINUS 2.45 INCHES 86 PERCENT
AUGUSTA GA 15.95 INCHES MINUS 1.37 INCHES 92 PERCENT
PRECIPITATION FROM MAY 1 THROUGH MAY 13 2008
COLUMBIA SC 1.39 INCHES PLUS 0.23 INCHES 120 PERCENT
AUGUSTA GA 1.53 INCHES PLUS 0.37 INCHES 132 PERCENT
...SOIL MOISTURE...
SOIL MOISTURE AS MEASURED BY THE PALMER DROUGHT SEVERITY INDEX
SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN SOME AREAS AND DETERIORATION IN OTHERS. THESE
CALCULATIONS DO NOT INCLUDE THE RAINFALL ON SUNDAY MAY 11. THE
NUMBERS CALCULATED FOR DATA COMPILED THROUGH MAY 10 ARE AS FOLLOWS:
AREA PDSI CATEGORY CHANGE
NC SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 3.13 SEVERE DROUGHT BETTER
NE SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 2.03 MODERATE DROUGHT WORSE
WC SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 1.81 DRY SIDE OF NORMAL BETTER
C SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 0.48 NORMAL BETTER
S SOUTH CAROLINA MINUS 0.90 NORMAL BETTER
NE GEORGIA MINUS 0.84 NORMAL BETTER
EC GEORGIA MINUS 1.03 DRY SIDE OF 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 MAY 13 2008 SHOWED:
D3 ...EXTREME DROUGHT...ACROSS THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF SOUTH
CAROLINA AND EXTENDED INTO NORTHEAST GEORGIA WITH THE SOUTHERN
BORDER FROM NORTHEAST GEORGIA ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MCCORMICK COUNTY
AND NORTHEAST TO FAR NORTHWEST YORK COUNTY.
D2...SEVERE DROUGHT...WAS FOUND SOUTH OF THE D3 AREA IN A NARROW BAND
WITH THE SOUTHERN BORDER EXTENDING FROM EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
ACROSS SOUTHERN MCCORMICK COUNTY NORTHEAST TO NORTHWEST LANCASTER
COUNTY.
D1...MODERATE DROUGHT...WAS FOUND SOUTH OF THE D2 AREA FROM EAST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA EAST TO SOUTHWEST SOUTH CAROLINA AND A NARROW
BAND SOUTH OF THE D2 AREA THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA WITH
THE SOUTHERN BORDER EXTENDING FROM SOUTHWEST ALLENDALE COUNTY
THROUGH CENTRAL HAMPTON COUNTY EAST ACROSS CENTRAL COLLETON COUNTY
AND CENTRAL DORCHESTER COUNTY THEN NORTHWEST TO FAR WESTERN
LEXINGTON COUNTY AND THEN NORTHEAST TO FAR NORTHWEST MARLBORO COUNTY.
D0...ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS...COVERED THE REST OF SOUTH CAROLINA
SOUTH OF THE D1 AREA EXCEPT FAR SOUTHWEST HAMPTON TO CENTRAL
JASPER AND FAR SOUTHWEST BEAUFORT COUNTY WHICH WERE CONSIDERED TO
BE OUT OF THE DROUGHT.
...RIVER AND STREAMFLOW...
OVER THE PAST 14 DAYS ENDING ON MAY 14 2008 21 RANKED GAGES SHOWED
THE PRESENCE OF SOME GROUND WATER STRESS WITH 3 OF THE RANKED GAGES
REPORTING AN AVERAGE FLOW IN THE LESS THAN 5 PERCENTILE CATEGORY
WHICH CORRESPONDS TO SEVERE DROUGHT. THERE WERE 8 RANKED GAGES
REPORTING AN AVERAGE 2 WEEK FLOW IN THE 6 TO 9 PERCENTILE RANGE
WHICH CORRESPONDS TO A MODERATE DROUGHT. THERE WERE 10 RANKED
GAGES REPORTING A FLOW RATE IN THE 10 TO 24 PERCENTILE RANGE WHICH
CORRESPONDS TO BLOW NORMAL FLOW.
A SNAPSHOT OF 34 RANKED GAGES ON MAY 14 SHOWED 29 PERCENT IN THE
LESS THAN 10 PERCENTILE RANGE AND 26 PERCENT REPORTING FLOW IN THE
10 TO 24 PERCENTILE RANGE. FOR SELECTED GAGES FLOWS WERE 68
PERCENT OF MEDIAN FLOW.
DATA PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
...RESERVOIR LEVELS...
AS OF MAY 14...MOST RESERVOIRS ARE REPORTING LITTLE CHANGE IN
LEVELS OVER THE PAST 31 DAYS...BUT LAKE RUSSELL CONTINUES TO BE A
FOOT BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WHILE LAKE THURMOND IS
RUNNING 8 FEET BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. LAKE MARION HAS
CONTINUED TO RISE OVER THE PAST MONTH. LAKES MURRAY...RUSSELL AND GREENWOOD
SHOW LITTLE CHANGE AND LAKE THURMOND HAS SHOWN A SLOW FALL.
DATA PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND THE U.S. ARMY
CORP OF ENGINEERS.
...CLIMATE OUTLOOK...
THERE IS A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY THROUGH
FRIDAY. HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN THE THUNDERSTORMS. THERE WILL BE A
CHANCE OF MORE RAINFALL INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH THUNDERSTORMS
POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY. AGAIN HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN THE
THUNDERSTORMS.
THE 6 TO 10 DAY OUTLOOK VALID FROM MAY 21 TO MAY 25 2008 CALLS FOR
EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS ALL
OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF GEORGIA. THERE IS A 40
PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA.
THE 8 TO 14 DAY OUTLOOK VALID FROM MAY 23 TO MAY 29 2008 CALLS FOR
A 33 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE
NORTHWEST THIRD OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND EQUAL
CHANCES OF ABOVE...NORMAL OR BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS
SOUTHEAST TWO THIRDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND EAST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. THERE IS 33 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF BELOW
NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE NORTHWEST TWO THIRDS OF SOUTH
CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND EQUAL CHANCES
OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST THIRD
OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.
THE OUTLOOK FOR MAY 2008 CALLS FOR EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR
NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND
GEORGIA.
THE 3 MONTH OUTLOOK FOR JUNE...JULY AND AUGUST 2008 CALLS FOR
EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS
SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA AND A 33 TO 40 PERCENT BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST THIRD OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND
GEORGIA AND EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL TEMPERATURES
ACROSS THE NORTHEAST TWO THIRDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
...OUTLOOK FOR THE DROUGHT...
DEMAND ON SOIL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE WITH INCREASED
VEGETATION GROWTH AND WARMER TEMPERATURES. HOWEVER THAT DEMAND MAY
DECREASE SOME IF TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW NORMAL...DECREASING
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION. OUTLOOKS ARE NOW INDICATING AN INCREASING
CHANCE FOR IMPROVEMENT DUE TO THE CHANCES OF BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES IN BOTH THE LONG AND SHORT TERM AND AN INCREASING
CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION IN THE SHORT TERM. THUS...
SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS MAY IMPROVE IN THE COMING
MONTHS...DECREASING DROUGHT CONDITIONS.
THE NEXT DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED ON THURSDAY MAY 29 2008.
$$
