CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte area saw up to 3 inches of rain last Sunday and it made a big difference when it comes to the drought conditions across the Carolinas.
Charlotte officially received 2.12 inches at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, making Dec. 10 the second-wettest day of the year so far.
Knowing that, it was no surprise when the U.S. Drought Monitor saw significant improvement for the Carolinas. However, as Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich says: droughts don't happen overnight, so unfortunately they won't go away completely overnight.
In fact, to get back to normal, the Charlotte region still needs around 18 inches of rain.
In North Carolina, the only percentage that saw an increase was the D0 (drier-than-normal) of 12%. The D1 (moderate drought) dropped 5%, the D2 (severe drought) dropped 13%, and the D3 (extreme drought) dropped 9%.
In South Carolina, the D0 (drier-than normal) dropped 5%, the D1 (moderate drought) dropped 2%, the D2 (severe drought) dropped 3%, and the D3 (extreme drought) dropped 5%.
In both states, the extreme drought has been eliminated altogether.
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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