No change in drought level across county
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on July 25, 2008 1:58 PM
By ANESSA MYERS
News-Argus Staff Writer
Wayne County is holding its ground in the moderate drought category, remaining in that status for three consecutive weeks.
The county has came down from the severe drought category it was in at the beginning of the month.
Even though the temperature rose to more than 100 degrees this week, the rain helped to counteract much of the dryness.
Russell Henes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh, said the county received much of its rain in the middle of the week, but most of it was in the southwest.
On Wednesday, between 2 and 3 inches fell in the county. On Tuesday, the southwestern part saw the same amount, but the northern part "didn't get much at all," he said.
And rain isn't out of the forecast yet.
The next few days will be dry, Henes said, but then county residents should expect to see thunder, lightning and rain again Sunday night and continuing through Tuesday.
The rain has also helped out with city water consumption.
Goldsboro Public Utilities Director Karen Brashear said consumption is slightly down from what it normally is this time of year, with the city pumping out 5.85 million gallons per day.
"That's pretty good," she said. "It's not as high as it would have been (without the rain) with the hot temperatures we've had."
The level of the Neuse River, Goldsboro's main water source, has been lower this week than last.
Last Thursday, the river was at nearly 4 feet, with the highest level this week coming in today with 3.5 feet.
But, the level is now on a steady increase, mostly because the rain that poured into basins upstream on Tuesday and Wednesday are just flowing down and catching up to Goldsboro now.
Wayne County joins 47 others in the moderate drought category. Twenty-four counties are in the most severe level of the drought scale with exceptional drought. Fourteen are in extreme drought, eight are in severe and six are in abnormally dry.