Thanks for visiting the State Climate Office's special events page!

Check it Out

Explore some of the information on display at our booth:

CRONOS Map

Precip. Estimates

Climate Education

ECONet Tour

Experiments

CoCoRaHS

Q and A

At the event, we handed out information cards with climate questions on the back. Here are the answers to those questions, along with some related information for each one:

Q:	Where are the wettest and driest places in North Carolina? (show this answer)
A:	The wettest place in NC is in the southern Mountains near Lake Toxaway. This spot receives, on average, more than 91 inches of precipitation per year. The driest place is in Asheville, which averages about 37 inches of precipitation per year. Surprisingly, these locations are only about 30 miles apart! The reason is because weather systems moving in from the southwest move to higher elevation as they approach Lake Toxaway, and this rising air causes enhanced precipitation. On the other hand, Asheville is in a so-called "rain shadow" since it sits just east of some higher mountains, and air moving downhill tends to dry out. Related Info.: Overview of NC Climate Map of Avg. Annual Precip. Weather Extremes tool
Q:	How strong was Hurricane Floyd when it made landfall in 1999? (show this answer)
A:	Hurricane Floyd was a category two hurricane with sustained winds of 104 mph when it made landfall near Wilmington. However, Floyd's greatest damage was caused by the heavy rains it brought, which led to widespread flooding across eastern North Carolina. Related Info.: Our Hurricanes portal Floyd's track Educational info. about hurricanes
Q:	Is climate change happening in North Carolina? (show this answer)
A:	There is much debate over the cause of recent climate change/global warming, but there is no doubt our climate has changed in the past and will continue to change in the future, whether it is caused by natural variability or human interactions with the environment. Regardless of the cause, North Carolina should continue to see a wide range of climate variability, including winter storms, thunderstorms, and hurricanes, as well as hot summer afternoons and cold winter nights. Knowing these events have happened before and will almost certainly happen again, we should be prepared to adapt to our climate and any changes that occur. Related Info.: Climate Change in NC Ask a Met: Future effects of climate change Education Modules about climate change
Q:	How can I contribute to weather and climate observations? (show this answer)
A:	You can become a backyard weather observer by joining CoCoRaHS, the Collaborative Community Rain, Hail and Snow Network. CoCoRaHS observers volunteer to contribute precipitation reports and observations online, which helps provide valuable rain, hail and snow estimates across North Carolina. Related Info.: About CoCoRaHS CoCoRaHS home page Today's reports from North Carolina
Q:	Where can I find past weather data and storm events? (show this answer)
A:	You can find both of these on the State Climate Office's website, using the products highlighted in the 'Related Info.' box below. These products include our CRONOS Database of weather data and our Local Storm Reports Database. Related Info.: CRONOS Database Local Storm Reports Database SPC Storm Reports Map Winter Storm Database
BONUS QUESTION!
Q:	Which two sensors at our weather stations are below ground? (show this answer)
A:	The soil temperature and soil moisture sensors at our ECONet stations are underground, at depths of 10 cm (soil temperature) and 20 cm (soil moisture). Related Info.: About the ECONet ECONet tower tour CRONOS Map

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