GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's been raining more than ever. That might sound like an exaggeration, but it's true that it's rained more in the last year than it has since records began over 100 years ago.
Chances are, all this rain has really tested your patience. Mother Nature has made it hard to get outside without getting wet, hard to mow the lawn, play ball, you name it. The rainfall has set records -- but what's causing all of it?
HOW MUCH RAIN?
- In 2018 the Triad set a record for most rain -- over 64"
- That's enough rain to fill 11 million Olympic sized swimming pools!
- That's enough rain to fill Lake Norman over 21 times!
- In 2019, the rain has hit 11 out of 18 weekends so far
WHY SO MUCH?
There are two main reasons for our extended weather. First off, we had extreme tropical systems in our area back in the fall.
"You can't forget Florence and Michael," says WFMY Chief Meteorologist Tim Buckley. "Both of those systems slammed North Carolina with feet of rain, and in back to back months"
Buckley says that those tropical systems really kick-started what was already a wet weather pattern. But that's not the only reason.
"Our weather pattern has been relatively stuck since late last summer," adds Buckley. "The jet stream has been active, and fixated on our area. That's what delivers storm after storm, and it really did that during the winter."
Part of the reason for this persistent weather pattern is El Nino. That's the warming of the Pacific Ocean near the equator, but it usually means wet winters for our area. That definitely happened this year.
WILL IT LAST?
We can't do anything about the rain that's already fallen. The big question is, will it last?
"We're still in El Nino now," Tim says. "But that can actually be good news for summer. It tends to lead toward drier weather overall in the Southeast during the warmer months."
If you look at the numbers, we've already been far more normal in the rainfall department over the last few months. March was below average for rainfall, and April was right about on track. This could be a sign that things are leveling out.
One more thing to consider though; climate change. Research has shown that in a warmer climate, heavy rainfall events can become more common.
