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Rains in September Through November Mark Wettest Fall on Record in NC

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By Jesse Wood

This past month marked the third wettest November on record for North Carolina and many towns across the state saw record rains, according to the State Climate Office of North Carolina.

The statewide average rainfall was 7.41 inches in November.

“At least 10 sites across the state recorded their wettest November on record. That includes Brevard (13.32 inches) and Asheville (7.82 inches) in the Mountains, Charlotte (10.04 inches) and Hickory (7.95 inches) in the Piedmont, and Morehead City (12.30 inches) and Kinston (10.05 inches) in the Coastal Plain,” according to the State Climate Office.

Since the beginning of September, the High Country saw about 30 inches of rain, including 10 inches in both September and November, according to David Still, a meteorologist with RaysWeather.com. Still noted that the roughly 30 inches of rain was on the “high side” for the region.

“We had a lot of rain events that favored the ‘eastern’ mountains (i.e. Boone as opposed to Zionville),” Still wrote in an email.

Earlier in the week, RaysWeather.com forecasted about 2 to 4 inches of rain for the last spell – from Sunday to Wednesday night.

“That looks about right, but a few spots along the Blue Ridge could have a little more. Colder air arrives tonight. A few flurries are possible lasting into early Thursday. Like a couple weeks ago, it’s not enough to introduce the Snowman-O–Mometer. But ski slopes will be in the snow-making business for 30-36 hours as temperatures remain chilly through Thursday. The rest of the week has moderating temperatures and clear skies (cold in valleys each night),” RaysWeather.com wrote in its latest forecast discussion.

Speaking of snow. Just imagine if all of that precipitation was snow.

Well, WCNC-TV meteorologist Brad Panovich did a few days ago. He reported that the 10 inches of rain that some parts of the state received would have amounted to more than 80 inches of snow.

In addition to November being quite wet, the State Climate Office of North Carolina also reported that the average 20.30 inches of rain in North Carolina from September through November made it the “wettest fall on record” for the state.

“The record rainfall came without any contribution from tropical systems passing over the state, which makes the totals all the more impressive. Among the top 10 wettest falls on record, seven had at least one tropical storm affecting North Carolina, and several — such as 1999 with Dennis and Floyd — had multiple storms passing through,” the State Climate Office said.