Carolina Drought Worst In 200 Years?
If it hasn’t been the heat, its’ been the drought the past several months, but how bad has it really been. Is it possible that this is the worst drought in 200 years…probably not, but a recent finding in Tarboro may say otherwise.
Thanks to record low water levels, what’s left of a rare wooden boat estimated to be 200 years old has surfaced in the Tar River. It’s an 80-foot-long vessel (about the length of two school busses), thought to be a North Carolina pole boat. Pole boats were made in the 1820s and preceded steamboats.
Assistant State Archaeologist Nathan Henry is investigating the boat near the Old Sparta bridge in Tarboro, but is it possible that the reason this boat surfaced is because we haven’t seen drought conditions this bad since 1820.
Why there is no question that it’s been dry, we can’t even say if this year’s drought is worse than the one in 2002, so it’s probably not the worst drought in 200 years. Many changes in the landscape, population, water use and man-made structures in the last 200 years in addition to the drought are probably why the boat turned up. But the new climate outlook through February shows a good probability of below normal precipitation.
Our next chance of rain comes in the middle of next week!
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Could someone please explain why much of the southeast and North Carolina in particular,is expeareancing repeated severe and even extream drought.It seems to me that drought is becoming a way of life’much like many of the southwestern states,’here in Dixie.The avaliable records all vary as to what exactly is normal rainfall in any given region,but it seems clear enough that since 1980 drought has become much more common in the South East.I currently reside in Macon county near Franklin North Carolina.This area of the mountains has expeareanced at least 3 severe droughts since 1980,and many of our non drought years have featured below average rainfall.Ironicaly my area is surrounded by what could ‘at least in the past’temperate rainforest’Highlands NC for example,recieves 85 inches of rain per year on average.In 2007 that community only recieved 57 inches of rain,making 2007 their driest year ever!Franklin at a lower elevation,usualy recieves between 50 to 60 inches yearly,a fairly wet place.In 2007 Franklin only recieved 37 inches of rain,parts of arid New Mexico recieved nearly as much !
Yes every one has heard about the sprawling upper ridges,but what is causing these unrelenting ridges to form and not move ,year after year ? Is manmade global warming to blame ? Volcanic eruptions?What about HARRP technology and other weather modification schemes.I personaly suspect these droughts are related to weather mod expearements,but who knows !? Are local experts even looking for awnswers,or are they simply monitering what is happening? I can not help but wonder if a drastic climate change has not already occoured,here in the Southeast and we have simply missed it?
If anyone out there has any input or insight into this matter please e-mail me.I resided in the arid southwest for several years and absolutly hated the place!I wonder if my beloved southland and her buetifull landscapes are going to oneday look more like parched west Texas,or Arizona!?
Any one out there have any ideas? Yt James Guilford.