By Leah Justice

leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

At the same time Polk County is considering entering into a contract to share its water resources, namely Lake Adger, with the Inman-Campobello Water District (ICWD) for the next 75 years, the county is experiencing its first drought conditions in about two and a half years.

Polk County has been listed in a D(1) moderate drought since June 23, which is the first the area has been in drought conditions since December 2012.

Precipitation for the month of July is significantly down from normal and in almost every month so far this year, precipitation has been below average, some months well below average.

So far in July, Tryon has recorded 1.56 inches of rain with the normal for July being 5.27 inches. The most rain Tryon received in the month of July in one day was recorded on July 24 at 0.51 inches.

Normal precipitation is calculated from average rainfall recorded between the years of 1981 and 2010, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council has listed most mountain counties, including Polk, in a moderate drought since late June.

So far this year, Tryon has received 23.08 inches of rain, with the normal for one year being 61.77 inches. The heaviest rainfall in Tryon is normally recorded in the months of January, March, June, July, August, September and December, with all those months normally receiving more than five inches of rain. August typically sees the most rainfall of the year, with the average being 6.18 inches of rain, according to the NWS.

So far this year, Tryon has received its most rainfall during the month of April, with 6.23 inches recorded. The month of May was significantly under normal rainfall, with Tryon recording just 1.04 inches. Normal rainfall for the month of May is 4.07 inches of rain, according to the NWS.

While the years of 2010-2012 received below average annual rainfalls, Tryon was less than 10 inches below normal for those years.

The year 2013 saw significant rainfall that was nearly double the normal with a total of 92.12 inches of rainfall compared to the 61.77 inch normal. The month of July 2013 recorded 20.05 inches of rain, which was almost four times the normal for the month of July. The year 2013 also saw well above average rainfall in the months of January, April, May, June and December.

So far in 2015, the months of January, February, March, May, June and July have all been below average rainfall. The only month to exceed the normal this year was April, with 6.23 inches of rain, compared to the normal of 4.58 inches in April.

Tryon’s weather, including precipitation and NWS.

The N.C. Drought Advisory Council, found at www.ncdrought.org is updated every Thursday and records drought conditions for every county in North Carolina.

As of July 21, Polk was one of 24 counties in North Carolina listed in a moderate drought, with another 23 counties listed as abnormally dry, according to the N.C. Drought Advisory Council.

Higher classifications of drought include severe and extreme droughts. No counties were listed any higher than moderate drought as of July 21.

When an area is listed in moderate drought conditions, all water users are encouraged to enact the following precautions, according to the N.C. Drought Advisory Council:

 

• Adhere to local water use restrictions.
• Participate, as appropriate, in regional and local coordination for the management of water resources.
• Stay informed on drought conditions and advisories (www.ncdrought.org).
• Project water needs and available water supply for a 90-day period from the issuance of this advisory.
• Assess your vulnerability to the drought conditions and adjust water usage to prolong available supply.
• Inspect water delivery system components (e.g. irrigation lines, fixtures, processing equipment, water system lines, etc.), repair leaks and ensure that existing equipment is operating as efficiently as possible.
• Minimize nonessential uses of water.
• Implement available public awareness and educational outreach programs emphasizing the need to conserve water.

 

 

 

Monthly total precipitation for Tryon 2010-2015

Jan.Feb.MarchAprilMayJuneJulyAug.Sept.Oct.Nov.Dec. Total

2010	7.87	4.40	4.29	3.24	3.83	5.18	0.68	7.26	4.79	5.19	3.40	3.60	53.73
2011	2.29	2.60	11.35	5.10	3.41	3.89	1.12	5.27	6.21	2.71	6.05	6.82	56.82
2012	4.21	1.31	3.39	4.12	9.50	2.50	7.90	5.45	4.92	4.70	0.56	6.24	54.80
2013	9.17	4.48	4.85	7.69	11.30	9.25	20.05	6.72	2.96	1.90	5.90	7.85	92.12
2014	3.98	3.16	4.41	6.26	3.42	6.51	6.97	5.79	3.32	4.28	6.27	3.51	57.88
2015	4.47	3.53	3.08	6.23	1.04	4.73	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	23.08

 

Total received in July 2015: 1.56 inches

Monthly climate normals from 1981-2010 (in inches)

January: 5.1

February: 4.86

March: 5.76

April: 4.58

May: 4.57

June: 5.38

July: 5.27

August: 6.18

September: 5.38

October: 4.65

November: 4.8

December: 5.24

Total annual normal rainfall: 61.77 inches