Drought and rainfall, one thing we as humans tend to do is forget the past. Polk County just suffered through three years of drought, the rainfall for 2010, 2011 and 2012 was well below normal, but did you know that the lack of rain in 1988 was much worse; it just didn’t last for three years? The chart shows how the rainfall cycle changes from year to year, from 1917 through early August 2013.

What can you do? Join CoCoRaHS and start collecting your data.

You probably will find your rain can differ quite a bit from a neighbor. For those living along the escarpment and higher in the county, yours can be several inches different. If you do join, the Polk County coordinator has purchased a box of the recommended 4-inch rain gauges and Little Mountain Farm Supply on Highway 9 is helping out by being a central location for individuals to pick one up.
If you join CoCoRaHS, you get a gauge at cost, but if you would just rather have a nice gauge, you can pick one up there and pay for the gauge along with the shipping and handling. And you can join the Weather WAGS on Facebook, to see what your friends and neighbors are saying about their local weather.

For more information on CoCoRaHS, visit http:www.cocorahs.org/Maps/ViewMap.aspx?state-usa

To learn about Tryon’s weather station, visit www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/cronos/normals.php?station=318744

For climate normal and a wealth of weather information, visit www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/normals/usnormals.html

– Dave Smith, Tryon