From the nstitute for Climate Education at A-B Tech: The stalled frontal boundary that is lingering over the Southeast U.S. has provided some much needed rainfall from Texas to the Atlantic Ocean. But some folks in Western North Carolina saw too much of a good thing on Wednesday when more than 3 inches of rain fell in areas of both Buncombe and Madison Counties.
The image below is a look at observed rainfall for the past two days, created by NOAA using the network of Doppler radars and rain gauges. Using the scale to the right of the image, you can see that areas in pale yellow have received over 2.5 inches of rain and those in bright yellow have seen over 3 inches — including downtown Asheville. You’ll also notice the areas in blue where less rain has been observed — like the 0.61 inches that has been recorded at the Asheville airport, south of town near Fletcher, over the same time period.
Image: NOAA’s National Weather Service, Southern Region Headquarters http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge2/RFC_Precip/
So, how are we fairing on rainfall so far for the year? The image below shows the departure from normal for the year so far. While most of Buncombe and Madison Counties are fairly close to normal, within 2-3 inches, some areas are actually slightly above normal (thanks to yesterday’s flooding rainfall). The counties southwest of Asheville are significantly drier, as indicated by the dark red colors.
Image: NOAA’s National Weather Service, Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service http://water.weather.gov/precip/
The forecast calls for more rain because the stalled front is not expected to go anywhere soon. Please try to stay on top of what is happening with the weather over the next several days, especially into the weekend. Saturated ground will mean that locally heavy rain may cause flash flooding and the possibility of downed trees.
I highly recommend bookmarking this website from the National Weather Service for fast access to the national weather picture. Stay Safe!
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