000 FGUS72 KGSP 291534 ESFGSP GAC105-147-119-257-137-241-NCC075-173-113-099-087-175 115-021-089-149-161-111-199-121-011-023-045-071-109 035-003-097-119-097-179-025-159-059-SCC001-047-007- 073-077-045-059-083-087-023-021-091-301534- DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1134 AM EDT THU MAY 29 2008 ...DROUGHT HAS WORSENED ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS... SYNOPSIS... LITTLE RAIN OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS HAS RESULTED IN WORSENING DROUGHT CONDITIONS TO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE HALF OF AN INCH. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE IMPROVEMENT IN THE WATER LEVELS AT WELL SITES AND TOP SOIL CONDITIONS REMAIN SLIGHTLY WET. THUS THERE WAS NO CHANGES TO THE CURRENT DROUGHT MONITOR LEVELS IN THESE AREAS. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS... VOLUNTARY WATER RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT FOR MOST WATER SYSTEMS ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. MANDATORY RESTRICTIONS ARE NOW IN EFFECT FOR TOWNS OF TAYLORSVILLE...GASTONIA AND NEWTON. VOLUNTARY WATER RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT FOR MOST WATER SYSTEMS ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA. MANDATORY RESTRICTIONS ARE NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE TOWNS OF GREENWOOD...CHESTER...SALEM...ROCK CREEK...SANTUCK...AND MOST LOCATIONS IN YORK COUNTY. VOLUNTARY WATER RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT FOR MOST WATER SYSTEMS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA. SOIL MOISTURE... TOP SOIL MOISTURE RANGES FROM ABNORMALLY MOIST IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE MOUNTAINS ON NORTH CAROLINA TO SLIGHTLY DRY TO FAVORABLY MOIST ACROSS THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE FOOTHILL AND PIEDMONT AREAS OF NORTH CAROLINA. GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS... HERE ARE THE CURRENT WELL WATER LEVELS..... LOCATION LEVELS (FEET BELOW SURFACE) CURRENT RECORD DATE OF OCCURRENCE AVERY CNTY NR LINVILLE NC 2.19 FT 2.74 9/13/2002 DAVIE CNTY MOCKSVILLE NC 21.78 FT 23.32 8/24/2002 IREDELL CNTY TURNERSVILLE NC 28.08 FT 24.39 6/12/2007 ROWAN CNTY BARBER NC 14.88 FT 11.15 9/15/2002 TRANSYLVANIA CNTY BLANTYRE NC 31.95 FT 40.01 12/27/2007 SWAIN CNTY NR BRYSON CITY NC 6.28 FT 7.43 10/16/2007 HAYWOOD CNTY NR CRUSO NC 5.46 FT 6.90 1/05/1998 OCONEE CNTY TAMASSEE SC 30.50 FT 31.83 9/14/2002 ANDERSON CNTY WILLIAMSTON SC 3.47 FT 5.68 9/12/2002 SPARTANBURG CNTY CROFT SP SC 46.29 FT 45.94 2/23/2003 RIVER AND STREAM FLOW CONDITIONS... IN NORTH CAROLINA...OF THE 41 REAL-TIME REPORTING SITES IN WESTERN PART OF THE STATE...10 SITES WERE 10 TO 24 PERCENT OF NORMAL RANGE AND 16 SITES WERE IN THE 25 TO 75 PERCENT RANGE. 15 SITES WERE BELOW 10 PERCENT BELOW NORMAL FLOW. IN SOUTH CAROLINA...OF THE 14 REAL-TIME REPORTING SITES IN THE UPSTATE... 3 SITES WERE IN THE 10 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE. 11 SITES WERE 10 PERCENT OR LESS OF NORMAL FLOW. IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA...OF THE 4 REAL-TIME REPORTING SITES...1 SITE WAS IN THE 10 TO 24 PERCENT OF NORMAL FLOW RANGE. THE OTHER 3 SITES WERE BELOW THE 10 PERCENT FLOW RANGE. CURRENT LAKE LEVELS.... LOCATION CURRENT LEVEL NORMAL LEVEL HARTWELL DAM 651.53 FT 659.67 FT. RUSSELL DAM 473.90 FT 474.90 FT. JOCASSEE DAM 75.74 FT 98.70 FT. KEOWEE DAM 94.97 FT 98.30 FT. MOST OF THE LAKES ON THE CATAWBA RIVER REMAIN AT STAGE 3 DROUGHT LEVELS. DURING THE PAST WEEK THE LAKE LEVELS HAVE RISEN SOME AND MOST ARE AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS. IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA...LAKE LEVELS ALONG THE TALLULAH RIVER ARE AT OR SLIGHTLY BELOW FULL POOL. AGRICULTURE IMPACTS... 28 PERCENT OF THE TOP SOIL MOISTURE WAS SHORT TO VERY SHORT ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. 55 PERCENT OF THE TOP SOIL MOISTURE WAS SHORT TO VERY SHORT ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA. 47 PERCENT OF THE TOP SOIL MOISTURE WAS SHORT TO VERY SHORT ACROSS GEORGIA. FIRE DANGER HAZARDS... OBSERVED FIRE DANGER LEVELS WERE LOW ACROSS THE AREA. CLIMATE SUMMARY... RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 7 DAYS (MAY 21 THRU MAY 28) WAS BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. YEAR TO DATE TOTALS INDICATED RAINFALL DEFICITS FROM 2 TO 20 INCHES ACROSS THE AREA. THE GREATEST RAINFALL DEFICITS..20 INCHES BELOW NORMAL WAS IN MACON AND CLAY COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK... 6 TO 10 DAY FORECAST...JUNE 3 TO JUNE 7 2008 INDICATES EQUAL CHANCES OF BELOW OR ABOVE PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA. 30 DAY OUTLOOK...JUNE INDICATES EQUAL CHANCES OF BELOW OR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA AND EQUAL CHANCES OF BELOW OR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. 90 DAY OUTLOOK...JUNE THROUGH AUGUST... THE OUTLOOK INDICATES SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND EQUAL CHANCES OF BELOW OR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK... THE LA NINA WILL BE WEAKENING THROUGH THE SUMMER. THUS SOME IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA. NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON JUNE 10 OR SOONER IF NECESSARY IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS. RELATED WEB SITES... ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/ U. S. DROUGHT MONITOR...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML NOAA DROUGHT PAGE.......HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV NORTH CAROLINA DROUGHT PAGE...HTTP://WWW.NCWATER.ORG/DROUGHT/ SOUTH CAROLINA DROUGHT PAGE... HTTP://WWW.DNR.SC.GOV/CLIMATE/SCO/DROUGHT/DROUGHT_CURRENT_INFO.PHP ADDITIONAL RIVER INFORMATION NWS...HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/AHPS/ USGS...HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/WATERWATCH CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGIST AND THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...USDA...USFS...USCE ... DUKE ENERGY...GA POWER AND STATE CLIMATE OFFICES. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT STATEMENT... PLEASE CONTACT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 1549 GSP DRIVE GREER SC 29651 PHONE 864-848-3859 GSP.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV$$