312  
FGUS72 KRAH 171554  
ESFRAH  
NCC001-007-037-051-057-063-065-067-069-077-081-083-085-093-101-105-  
123-125-127-135-145-151-153-163-165-167-181-183-185-191-195-241600-  
 
WINTER/SPRING FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH, NC  
1155 AM EDT SAT MAR 17 2018  
 
...THE CHANCE OF RIVER FLOODING OVER CENTRAL NC THIS SPRING IS NEAR  
NORMAL...  
 
PRECIPITATION SUMMARY  
 
RAINFALL OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS HAS BEEN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW  
NORMAL ACROSS CENTRAL NC. THERE HAVE BEEN THREE PRECIPITATION EVENTS  
SO FAR THIS MARCH, THE WETTEST OCCURRING ON THE 11TH AND 12TH AS  
RAIN TRANSITIONED TO SNOW, PRODUCING LIQUID EQUIVALENT AMOUNTS OF  
BETWEEN HALF AN INCH AND AN INCH AND A HALF ACROSS THE AREA. THE  
OTHER TWO PRECIPITATION EVENTS PRODUCED AROUND A HALF AN INCH TO AN  
INCH EACH.  
 
SEE WWW.WATER.WEATHER.GOV FOR DETAILED RAINFALL ANALYSIS.  
 
PRECIPITATION AND DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL:  
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) AND DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL FOR THE  
WATER YEAR BEGINNING 1 OCTOBER 2017  
 
MONTH RDU GSO FAYETTEVILLE  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
OCTOBER 4.29/ 1.04 3.03/-0.10 2.76/-0.45  
NOVEMBER 1.28/-1.84 0.95/-2.16 0.54/-2.23  
DECEMBER 2.29/-0.78 1.60/-1.38 2.97/ 0.32  
JANUARY 3.92/ 0.42 3.65/ 0.59 3.08/-0.22  
FEBRUARY 1.70/-1.53 2.56/-0.40 1.62/-1.14  
MARCH (THRU 3/15) 2.17/ 0.01 2.19/ 0.27 1.57/-0.13  
 
TOTAL PRECIP 15.75/-2.68 13.98/-3.18 12.54/-3.85  
PERCENT NORMAL 85 81 77  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
 
BEGIN ACTUAL NORMAL DEPARTURE PERCENT  
DATE PCPN PCPN FROM NORM OF NORM  
 
RALEIGH-DURHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (RDU)  
LAST 7 DAYS 03/07/2018 1.13 0.97 0.16 116%  
LAST 14 DAYS 02/28/2018 2.24 1.87 0.37 120%  
LAST 30 DAYS 02/12/2018 2.81 3.77 -0.96 75%  
LAST 90 DAYS 12/14/2017 8.21 10.26 -2.05 80%  
LAST 180 DAYS 09/15/2017 15.65 20.06 -4.41 78%  
LAST 365 DAYS 03/14/2017 47.29 43.34 3.95 109%  
 
PIEDMONT TRIAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (GSO)  
LAST 7 DAYS 03/07/2018 0.91 0.85 0.06 107%  
LAST 14 DAYS 02/28/2018 2.20 1.66 0.54 133%  
LAST 30 DAYS 02/12/2018 2.39 3.43 -1.04 70%  
LAST 90 DAYS 12/14/2017 8.86 9.26 -0.40 96%  
LAST 180 DAYS 09/15/2017 14.00 18.86 -4.86 74%  
LAST 365 DAYS 03/14/2017 44.44 42.20 2.24 105%  
 
FAYETTEVILLE AIRPORT (FAY)  
LAST 7 DAYS 03/07/2018 0.67 0.74 -0.07 91%  
LAST 14 DAYS 02/28/2018 1.63 1.45 0.18 112%  
LAST 30 DAYS 02/12/2018 1.86 3.13 -1.27 59%  
LAST 90 DAYS 12/14/2017 7.22 8.76 -1.54 82%  
LAST 180 DAYS 09/15/2017 12.56 18.36 -5.80 68%  
LAST 365 DAYS 03/14/2017 43.33 44.46 -1.13 97%  
 
STREAMFLOW AND LAKE LEVELS  
 
STREAMFLOW ON UNREGULATED STREAMS AND RIVERS ACROSS CENTRAL NC  
SHOWED A TREND OF BELOW TO MUCH-BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE NORTHERN  
TIER, WHILE FLOWS ACROSS THE SOUTH WERE CLOSER TO NORMAL FOR THIS  
TIME OF YEAR. THIS WAS A MODEST IMPROVEMENT OVER FEBRUARY, WHICH  
EXHIBITED UNIFORMLY BELOW NORMAL FLOWS AT MONTH'S END.  
 
SEE HTTPS://WATERWATCH.USGS.GOV FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.  
 
THE MAJOR WATER SUPPLY AND FLOOD CONTROL RESERVOIRS IN CENTRAL NC  
ARE FALLS LAKE AND B. EVERETT JORDAN LAKE, BOTH OPERATED BY THE U.S.  
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. BOTH OF THESE LAKES ARE CURRENTLY WITHIN ONE  
FOOT OF THEIR TARGET ELEVATIONS AND ARE NEARLY STEADY. CURRENT INFLOW  
PROJECTIONS, WHICH ARE BASED ON CONSERVATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECASTS,  
MAINTAIN NEAR NORMAL LAKE LEVELS THROUGH MID SUMMER.  
 
SEE WWW.EPEC.SAW.USACE.ARMY.MIL FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.  
 
SHORT TERM FORECAST  
 
THE WEATHER PATTERN FAVORS PROGRESSIVE SYSTEMS FOR THE NEXT TWO  
WEEKS, AND MODELS SUGGEST THAT SEVERAL SYSTEMS COULD POTENTIALLY  
PROVIDE MODEST TO SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL TO THE AREA. AT THIS TIME,  
NONE APPEAR POTENT ENOUGH TO PRODUCE A WIDESPREAD 2-3 INCHES, WHICH  
CURRENT SLIGHTLY-DRIER-THAN-NORMAL HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS WOULD  
REQUIRE TO PRODUCE FLOODING OF SIGNIFICANCE ON LARGER STREAMS AND  
RIVERS.  
 
LONGER TERM PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK  
 
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN A WEAKENING LA NINA PHASE OF THE EL  
NINO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION (ENSO) CYCLE, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO  
TRANSITION TO ENSO-NEUTRAL OVER THE NEXT MONTH OR SO. THIS IS  
THE 'WARM' ENSO PHASE, WHICH TYPICALLY PRODUCES INCREASED CHANCES  
OF WARMER-THAN-NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND LESS-THAN-NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION. THIS WEAKENING CLIMATOLOGICAL SIGNAL SUGGESTS  
THAT THE LONGER RANGE CHANCE OF RIVER FLOODING IS NORMAL TO  
SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.  
 
ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND DISCUSSION MAY BE FOUND AT THE CLIMATE  
PREDICTION CENTER WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV  
 
IN SUMMARY, CURRENT HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS ARE SLIGHTLY DRIER THAN  
NORMAL ACROSS CENTRAL NC. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE FOR WEATHER SYSTEMS  
IN THE NEAR-TERM FORECAST THAT COULD PRODUCE PRECIPITATION  
SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO CAUSE MINOR RIVER FLOODING THROUGH LATE MARCH.  
THERE ARE NO CLIMATOLOGICAL SIGNALS SUGGESTING HIGHER-PROBABILTY  
WET PERIODS IN THE LONGER RANGE OUTLOOK. AS SUCH, THE CHANCE OF  
FLOODING THROUGH EARLY SPRING IS NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.  
 
THE NEXT SCHEDULED WINTER/SPRING FLOOD OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED  
ON MARCH 30TH.  
 
FOR ADDITIONAL HYDROLOGIC OR WEATHER INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE  
AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/RALEIGH.  
 
MLM  
 
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