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<br />National Weather ServicelNoAA Regional Precipitation data {as of 11912008) <br />finches above f+1 or below f-1 normal) <br />RDU Piedmont-Triad <br />-1.12" since January 1, 2008 -0.99" since January 1, 2008 <br />~-liscellaneous notes <br />1. Please note that the rainfall deficits noted above show only deficits from January 2008, and do <br />not reflect deficits that remained at the end of 2006 and 2007. USGS ground water specialists <br />and hydrageologists recently speculated that North Carolina as a whole needs 30 to 40" of <br />rainfall by April 2008 to break the drought. <br />2. The NC Draught Management Advisory Council drought map, updated January 10, 2008, <br />indicates that the entirety of Orange County lies within the area characterized as experiencing <br />"exceptional drought" (the most severe drought classification used}. <br />3. Given that: 1 }Orange Alamance's withdrawals are now averaging well below historical levels <br />(averaging approximately 130,000 gallons per day}; 2} Piedmont Minerals withdrawals are but a <br />tiny fraction of its historical levels of withdrawal; and 3) Hillsborough has been releasing well <br />above its minimum required release, the water level at Lake Orange -though quite low - is well <br />above what might be expected with the current drought situation. <br />