Sunrise on NC Beach

April 2009

Signup to receive newsletters

North Carolina Climate, the monthly newsletter of the State Climate Office of NC, covers a monthly climate summary for March with impacts to agriculture and water resources, and a weather photo contest for youth.
PDF version available for printing.

 

Warm and Dry in the Mountains; Cool and Wet to the East

Most of North Carolina was cool and wet during March 2009. Most of central and eastern NC experienced temperatures much below normal, with temperature departures from long-term averages between 1 and 1.5 degrees F. In contrast, western NC was generally warmer than normal, especially at higher elevations.

Departures from Normal
Temperature and Precipitation by climate division
Departures from Normal for March 2009 - based on preliminary data.

Rainfall across central and eastern NC was plentiful in March 2009, a nice contrast to the dry conditions experienced in January and February. The northern Piedmont and Coastal Plains experienced the wettest conditions, with some locations receiving greater than 150% of normal. While western NC was slightly drier than normal, rainfall amounts were generally greater than in January and February.

Percent of Normal Precipitation
Percent of Normal Precipitation for March 2009, based on estimates from NWS Radar
Courtesy National Weather Service

 

Impacts to Agriculture and Water Resources

Cool conditions in central and eastern NC have slowed emergence for some fruit crops, but otherwise has minimal impact. Planting for most crops will start in mid-April, after the historical last freeze in central and eastern NC.

Rainfall in central and eastern NC has generally been beneficial, ensuring adequate moisture in the soils across most locations for spring crop planting. Moreover, the rain was heaviest in the upper parts of our river basins, providing good recharge for reservoirs, streams, and groundwater resources. The rainfall and its impacts are reflecting in the US Drought Monitor, which showed improvements across the state in March. Recharge from rainfall, along with careful management of water resources, will likely ensure adequate water supplies for the summer even if dry weather is experienced.

 

Change in US Drought Monitoring Status during March 2009
Provided by the NC DENR Division of Water Resources

March 2009 Drought

 

Weather Photo Contest!

Have a neat picture of cool weather phenomena? Want to show it off and enter it into a contest? Well, you're in luck! Youth, ages 7-16, may send in their pictures for a chance to win a spot on the SCO website and a prize!

The rules are simple. Contestants from any state can take part in the competition by entering up to five photos, however all photos must have been taken in North Carolina, by the participant. No digital manipulation is allowed.

A description of each photo is also required. Each description must include why the contestant believes his or her picture should win, where he or she was when the picture was taken, what he or she was doing at the time, and what made him or her decide to take a picture of the weather event.

The contest ends June 30, 2009. Winners will be announced by mid-July.

Winners from the 2009 contest can be seen to your right.

Go online to submit your photos!
http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/contest

  • Grand prize: a CoCoRaHS rain gage, a photo showcase on our website and in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Scope Magazine, an NC State Prize Pack, and a tour of the State Climate Office.
  • Second place: NC State Prize Pack.
  • Third place: NC State Prize Pack.

 

Statewide Summary for March 2009

As part of the monthly newsletter, the SCO provides a basic summary of monthly conditions for all locations that have an automated reporting station. A daily version of this product is available online at:
http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/cronos/review

Station
Avg Daily
Max Temp
Avg Daily
Min Temp
Total
Rainfall
Avg Daily
Wind Speed
Max Daily
Wind Speed
Vector Avg
Wind Speed
Aurora, NC (AURO)
60° F
(-3.2° F)
4 mi
42.5° F
(+1.7° F)
4 mi
2.8 in
4.9 mph
25.1 mph
0.1 mph
West Southwest (257°)
Boone, NC (BOON)
53.2° F
(+3.2° F)
1 mi
32.7° F
(+3.4° F)
1 mi
2.8 in
5.2 mph
39.6 mph
2.6 mph
West (273°)
Buckland, NC (BUCK)
58.9° F
(-1.2° F)
15 mi
37.4° F
(+1.6° F)
15 mi
5.2 in
3 mph
21 mph
0.4 mph
Northwest (316°)
Burnsville, NC (BURN)
56.3° F
(-0.8° F)
8 mi
34.4° F
(+3.9° F)
8 mi
2.9 in
4.6 mph
37.8 mph
1.1 mph
North Northeast (24°)
Castle Hayne, NC (CAST)
62.8° F
(-3.7° F)
0 mi
41.7° F
(-0.4° F)
0 mi
3.4 in
4.9 mph
24.9 mph
0.7 mph
North Northeast (15°)
Clayton, NC (CLAY)
59.5° F
(-3.2° F)
3 mi
41.3° F
(+3.5° F)
3 mi
4.4 in
5.5 mph
29.6 mph
0.6 mph
West Southwest (255°)
Clayton, NC (CLA2)
61.5° F
(-1.2° F)
3 mi
38.7° F
(+0.9° F)
3 mi
7 in
3.2 mph
17.9 mph
0.2 mph
West Southwest (247°)
Clinton, NC (CLIN)
61.5° F
(-2.5° F)
0 mi
41.4° F
(-0.1° F)
0 mi
3.7 in
5.9 mph
26.6 mph
0.8 mph
Northeast (35°)
Fletcher, NC (FLET)
60.2° F
(+2.3° F)
0 mi
35.9° F
(+3.6° F)
0 mi
3.4 in
3.8 mph
25 mph
0.6 mph
North (356°)
Franklin, NC (WINE)
50° F
(-10.3° F)
11 mi
33.5° F
(+1° F)
11 mi
5.4 in
8 mph
27.4 mph
5 mph
West Southwest (252°)
Frying Pan Mountain, NC (FRYI)
50.6° F
(-6.9° F)
10 mi
32.6° F
(+1.2° F)
10 mi
0 in
11.9 mph
39 mph
6.2 mph
Southwest (224°)
Goldsboro, NC (GOLD)
60.5° F
(-5.1° F)
5 mi
40.4° F
(-1.2° F)
5 mi
4.4 in
7.2 mph
32.2 mph
0.4 mph
North Northwest (344°)
Greensboro, NC (NCAT)
58.7° F
(-1.6° F)
12 mi
39.4° F
(+1.6° F)
12 mi
4.8 in
4.7 mph
27.2 mph
0.4 mph
North (350°)
Hamlet, NC (HAML)
62.3° F
(-3.7° F)
4 mi
40.6° F
(+3.5° F)
4 mi
4.1 in
5 mph
33.1 mph
0.4 mph
Southeast (146°)
Hendersonville, NC (BEAR)
50° F
(-10° F)
7 mi
35.5° F
(+1.1° F)
7 mi
3 in
10 mph
48.8 mph
4.4 mph
North Northeast (22°)
High Point, NC (HIGH)
59° F
(-4.1° F)
2 mi
37.9° F
(-1.1° F)
2 mi
4.6 in
3.1 mph
20.6 mph
0.3 mph
North (349°)
Jackson Springs, NC (JACK)
60° F
(-2.7° F)
0 mi
40.8° F
(+0.5° F)
0 mi
4 in
7.3 mph
31.6 mph
0.7 mph
East Northeast (61°)
Kinston, NC (KINS)
61.4° F
(-6.4° F)
5 mi
41.4° F
(+0.8° F)
5 mi
3.4 in
6.5 mph
29.8 mph
0.5 mph
West Southwest (244°)
Laurel Springs, NC (LAUR)
52° F
(-0.4° F)
1 mi
31.8° F
(+3.9° F)
1 mi
2.5 in
4.8 mph
32.2 mph
1 mph
West (279°)
Lewiston, NC (LEWS)
59.3° F
(-3.4° F)
0 mi
39.4° F
(+1.3° F)
0 mi
6.1 in
6.9 mph
29.3 mph
0.5 mph
West Northwest (301°)
Lilesville, NC (LILE)
62.1° F
(-2° F)
9 mi
42.3° F
(+1.1° F)
9 mi
3.3 in
4.5 mph
33.6 mph
0.3 mph
South Southwest (196°)
Mount Mitchell, NC (MITC)
44.9° F
(+2.3° F)
1 mi
29.9° F
(+5.3° F)
1 mi
6 in
12.3 mph
78.1 mph
9.9 mph
West (268°)
Oxford, NC (OXFO)
57.9° F
(-3.1° F)
0 mi
38.8° F
(+2.9° F)
0 mi
5 in
5 mph
30.9 mph
5 mph
North (3°)
Plymouth, NC (PLYM)
59.1° F
(-6.3° F)
2 mi
38.5° F
(-2.1° F)
2 mi
3.9 in
9.3 mph
34.5 mph
1.3 mph
North (353°)
Raleigh, NC (LAKE)
60.2° F
(-3.6° F)
0 mi
40.3° F
(-0.5° F)
0 mi
5.5 in
5.7 mph
33.9 mph
0.7 mph
West Northwest (284°)
Raleigh, NC (REED)
59.7° F
(-1.5° F)
3 mi
41.4° F
(+1.6° F)
3 mi
4.9 in
5 mph
26.4 mph
0.3 mph
Northwest (314°)
Reidsville, NC (REID)
57.1° F
(-2.6° F)
0 mi
39.4° F
(+2.4° F)
0 mi
0 in
5.5 mph
24.5 mph
0.8 mph
Northwest (316°)
Rocky Mount, NC (ROCK)
57.6° F
(-5.3° F)
0 mi
38.6° F
(-0.5° F)
0 mi
4.3 in
6.7 mph
30.9 mph
1.1 mph
North (2°)
Salisbury, NC (SALI)
59.6° F
(-1.2° F)
0 mi
37.9° F
(+1.2° F)
0 mi
0 in
4.5 mph
26.5 mph
0.4 mph
Northeast (38°)
Siler City, NC (SILR)
60.2° F
(-1.8° F)
5 mi
37.4° F
(-1.5° F)
5 mi
3.3 in
5.1 mph
28 mph
0.6 mph
West Southwest (238°)
Taylorsville, NC (TAYL)
58.8° F
37.6° F
4.8 in
2.6 mph
74.9 mph
0.4 mph
East (93°)
Wallace, NC (WILD)
63.1° F
(-5.6° F)
8 mi
40.9° F
(-1.7° F)
8 mi
3.2 in
6 mph
52.6 mph
0.7 mph
Northeast (40°)
Waynesville, NC (WAYN)
58.6° F
(+0.2° F)
0 mi
34.7° F
(+4° F)
0 mi
2.4 in
4.1 mph
25.9 mph
0.3 mph
North Northwest (345°)
Whiteville, NC (WHIT)
63.3° F
(-4.7° F)
0 mi
41.6° F
(+0.8° F)
0 mi
4.1 in
4.9 mph
23.5 mph
0.3 mph
East Northeast (78°)
Williamston, NC (WILL)
60.4° F
(-2.6° F)
4 mi
40.2° F
(-0.8° F)
4 mi
4.7 in
4.7 mph
22.2 mph
0.3 mph
West Northwest (282°)
Legend:
Parameter
Parameter's value approximated from hourly data.
( +/- Departure from normal )
Distance to reference station

« Back to Newsletters