W is for water – not winter (apparently) in WNC

From the Institute for Climate Education at A-B Tech:
As we head into February, Western North Carolina continues to see plentiful rain as a steady stream of weather systems spread rainfall across the southern plains and into our area.

The image below shows the rainfall totals for January across the Southeast (the scale on the right is in inches.)

Asheville has seen its fair share of rain over the last several months. The monthly total for January at the AVL airport was 3.85”.  That’s 0.18” above the average rainfall for January.  And, we came into 2012 with some above average rainfall accumulations in November (1.67” above average) and December (1.52” above average).

With rain in the forecast for much of the weekend, it looks like we’ll keep adding to the totals in the near-term. 

These images were generated using the National Weather Service’s radar and rain gauge data here. Much of the world’s weather data is gathered, archived and processed right here in downtown Asheville, at the National Climatic Data Center.

Want to learn more? Join us for one of the many classes offered by the Institute. You’ll find details here.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “W is for water – not winter (apparently) in WNC

  1. Barry Summers

    …and yet the drought persists and worsens. 40 miles south of us, it’s nothing but solid severe-to-exceptional drought all the way to the Gulf:

    http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_southeast.htm

    And that’s expected to continue or get worse for the foreseeable future:

    http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/seasonal_drought.html

    If I had a few million dollars laying around, I’d try to buy a certain small municipal water system that sits on the edge of that drought, and which happens to sit at the end of a pipeline that leads directly to Asheville’s reservoir. Aw shucks, I’m too late:

    http://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2012/01/19/tryon-considers-4-2m-offer-for-watersewer/

Leave a Reply to Barry Summers ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.