By Molly Parker
Staff Writer

     State climatologist Hope Mizzell said people have been asking her lately if the recent string of rainy days has offset the drought that has plagued the Southeast since at least last fall.

Unfortunately, said Mizzell with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the Johnny-come-lately wet weather isn’t enough to offset months of dry days in the latter part of 2007.

“It is important we get more beneficial rain in February and March,” she told a crowd of about 100 gathered downtown  at the Francis Marion Hotel for a February forum on the impact of the drought on the Charleston region.

The forum was sponsored by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Developers Council and Environmental Committee. 

“The next 30 to 60 days are key to where we’ll be sitting in July,” she said.

The good news is that meteorologists are calling for intermittent rain along the coastline of South Carolina. Above-normal precipitation was expected to be coupled with below-normal temperatures in late February and March, she said. 

The long-range outlook isn’t as promising, she said. La Niña, an atmospheric condition defined by a slight drop in temperatures over the eastern Pacific Ocean, is threatening to dry out March, April and May as well, months that are critical for replenishing the water supply. Rain evaporates much more quickly in the hot summer months.

Calling it the “evil twin” of El Niño, Mizzell said La Niña generally leads to dry, warm weather. Patterns, however, are unpredictable, she said, noting that December was wetter than expected.  

Already, surveys show 56% of the state is voluntarily cutting back on water consumption, she said, while 26% of the population is subject to involuntary cutbacks.

Despite the dry spell, Mizzell said the department is actively working with other agencies and neighboring states to mitigate the impact of the drought on commercial activity.

Citing a lack of cooperation in North Carolina, S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster last summer filed a lawsuit against North Carolina, claiming the state siphoned more than its fair share of the Catawba River basin. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case.

The drought also has caused concern about forest fires. Last year in South Carolina, 1,500 wildfires broke out, burning 8,000 acres of woodland, Mizzell said.

Concern over the upcoming fire season is so grave that fire officials in other states have been placed on standby to help if an uncontrollable wildfire breaks out in the Southeast, she said.

As of late January, the entire state except for the counties of Jasper and Beaufort were listed at “severe” drought status by the state climatology office. A year ago, most of the state was listed as “normal” except for a parcel along the North Carolina border and an area along the Georgia border labeled “incipient.”

Molly Parker is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at mparker@scbiznews.com.

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