Three
months ago 99% of South Carolina was in a moderate drought or worse. About 35% was in an extreme drought and it
seemed to be getting worse. Then the
rains began to appear in mid-May. This
continued through mid-June and then the rains stopped. It became brutally hot with some areas
breaking all-time record highs. The corn
crop in the western part of the state suffered from the flash drought
conditions.
The
heat continued through much of July and it was the third hottest July on record
for South Carolina. We joined much of
the central and eastern part of the country in that respect.
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| Average July Temperature rankings. Image Credit: NOAA/NCDC. |
Rains
continued to fall across July with Columbia receiving over 9 inches of rain in
the city. The heavy downpours resulted
in several instances of flooding of Rocky Branch Creek.
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| Flooding of the Rocky Branch Creek on June 11, 2012. Image Credit: USGS. |
It also occurred in June from some heavy rains in the middle of month. This was a bit ironic occurring in the midst
of a drought. However, there have been
five extreme rainfall events at the airport and city in the past three months.
The
latest US Drought Monitor was released today.
It showed improvement in all areas of South Carolina. Only 62% of the state is now in a moderate
drought or worse. The west central part
of the state near the Savannah River continues to be the worst hit area.
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| The Drought Monitor for South Carolina. Click on the graphic for a larger view. Image Credit: USDA. |
Rains
have continues to fall albeit sporadically over the past three months. Much of the Midlands have seen between 15 to
25 inches of rain since May 9. The maps
below show the observed rainfall for the period of May 9 through August 8.
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| Top image: The observed rainfall for the period of May 9 - August 8. Bottom image: The rainfall anomalies measured in inches from normal. Click on either image for a larger view. Image Credit: NOAA/AHPS. |
Typically
at this time of year the rain comes from thunderstorms. This tends to be spotty producing pockets of
heavier rain. This can be seen in the
rainfall map. It accounts for the wide
range of rainfall over the past three months.
Rainfall in the southern third of South Carolina was also helped by
Tropical Depression Beryl.
In
spite of the recent rains, it will take much more to end the drought. An additional 9 to 15 inches of rain is
needed over the next two months to end the drought in the western part of the state. This is unlikely, but additional rain will
certainly ease the drought conditions.
