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History of Drought in North Carolina and the U.S. I <br /> Year Descri tion <br /> 1980 The drought/heat wave summer of 1980 caused over$20 billion in damages to <br /> agriculture and related industries and an estimated 10,000 heat stress-related <br /> deaths in the United States. <br /> 1986 $1 - $1.5 billion in dama es and an estimated 100 deaths nationwide. <br /> 1988 Over$40 billion in damages and 5,000 to 10,000 deaths across central and <br /> eastern United States. <br /> 1993 During June-July 1993 most of the Southeast received less than 50% of <br /> normal rainfall along with temperatures 3—6 degrees above normal. Eighty- <br /> nine of the one hundred counties in NC were declared disaster areas. Crop <br /> losses for NC were estimated at$165 million. During this period,North <br /> Carolina also recorded the second driest summer(June-August) on record <br /> (since 1895)with a statewide average precipitation of only 9.43 inches. The <br /> Raleigh-Durham area recorded the driest June on record with 0.33 inches of <br /> rain. Estimated damages for the United States exceeded $1 billion in damages <br /> to a riculture and at least 16 deaths. <br /> 1998 Severe drought/heat wave from Texas/Oklahoma eastward to the Carolinas <br /> resulted in$6 -$9 billion in damages to agriculture and at least 200 deaths. <br /> 1999 Summer drought/heat wave of 1999 resulted in extensive agricultural <br /> losses estimated at over$1.0 billion in damages and an estimated 502 deaths <br /> in the United States. The east coast was hardest hit by the drought, with record <br /> and near-record short-term precipitation deficits occurring on a local and <br /> regional scale resulting in agricultural losses and drought emergencies being <br /> declared in several states. Drought was especially severe in the mid-Atlantic <br /> states, where local water restrictions were in effect and drought emergencies <br /> were declared by several governors. February-August 1999 ranked as the fifth <br /> driest such eriod in the 105- ear record. <br /> 2000 Severe drought and persistent heat over south-central and southeastern states <br /> caused significant losses to agriculture and related industries estimated at over <br /> $4.0 billion in dama es and 140 deaths. <br /> 2002 According to the National Climatic Data Center, moderate to extreme drought <br /> affected more than 45% of the United States June through August of 2002. <br /> Nationwide,the summer of 2002 was the third hottest on record after the <br /> summers of 1934 and 1936. The 12 months that ended with August 2002 were <br /> the driest on record for North Carolina. Local water restrictions were in effect <br /> throu hout central and western North Carolina. <br /> 2003 - A period of dry weather that began in Aug. 2003 resulted in moderate drought <br /> 2004 conditions across portions of western North Carolina by late spring of 2004. <br /> Streamflow and lake levels began to run below normal, and a few <br /> communities instituted water restrictions. <br /> Sources:National Climatic Data Center;State Ha.zard Mitigation Plan,Final 2007. <br /> North Carolina experienced dry weather again in 2007 and 2008,resulting in a statewide <br /> drought. Lake and reservoir levels were below normal and communities across the state <br /> instituted water restrictions. <br /> 13 <br />