Cold, Dry in the East

Most of North Carolina was cold and dry during January 2009. In particular, temperatures in central and eastern NC were between 0.5F and 1.5F below normal. These same regions were also drier than the mountain regions with precipitation observations typically only 55%-70% of normal. The entire state experienced several cold air outbreaks, including bitter temperatures on January 16-17 and 21, and substantial snowfall on January 20.

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

Snowfall accumulations from the January 20, 2009 storm
Courtesy of the National Weather Service

Impacts to Agriculture and Water Resources

Despite the relatively dry conditions across central and eastern NC in January, impacts to water resources and agriculture were minimal. Topsoil moisture is adequate for the winter grains that are still in production, and precipitation from previous months in central and eastern NC has prevented negative impacts to water supply systems in those regions. This pattern is shown in the lack of change in the US Drought Monitor depictions for NC. While stream flow and groundwater levels continue to be quite low for this time of the year in western NC, low demand for water resources has so far kept water supply systems from experiencing problems.

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

Groundhog Day

On February 2, 2009, the State Climate Office celebrated Groundhog Day with the Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh, NC. Meteorologist Ashley Frazier and graduate student Heather Dinon presented to kids and parents on common animal folklore and various instruments used to monitor weather. Experiments demonstrating the strength of our atmosphere, the formation of clouds, and updrafts, were the hit of the show. And who could forget the museum's infamous thunderstorm? Many thanks go out to Mary Fore, the museum's audio/visual crew, and the wonderful audience for helping us make the presentation such a huge success.

In continuing our collaboration with the museum, the State Climate Office of North Carolina has created a groundhog climatology depicting how our furry friend’s predictions have faired for various cities across the state of North Carolina. This page shows not only how accurate Sir Walter Wally’s forecasts have been in the past, but keeps up with the current year as the six-week period progresses. Average temperatures are calculated for each week, and are compared to the normal temperatures for the same time period. Positive temperature differences suggest temperatures are above normal (warmer weather), while negative temperature differences suggest below normal temperatures (cooler weather).

Information describing other animal and weather folklore are included on the groundhog climatology page beneath the section for Sir Walter Wally’s forecast record. Also provided are the most recent satellite and radar images over the southeastern U.S., and the Climate Prediction Center’s climate outlook over the next few months.

In addition, our office has recently put together a holiday climatology page containing historical summaries of temperature and precipitation from NWS Cooperative stations across NC. Below are the warmest, coolest, and wettest Groundhog Days on record for a few selected stations in our state.