Upstate Enjoys Wet Winter

If Upstate residents think the last two months have been particularly rainy, it may just be perception. 

"When you're in a drought, sometimes just normal rainfall seems like a real deluge," said State Climatologist Hope Mizzell. 

In fact, experts are saying the Upstate as a whole has received an average amount of precipitation, and it may affect how they are categorized by the state's Drought Response Committee. Currently, Greenville County is listed as being in a "moderate" drought, while Pickens County listed as "severe."

The committee last met in November. 

"Honestly, we're waiting to see what the full winter recharge is going to be before we meet again," Mizzell said.

Winter months are often the wettest in South Carolina, due to both more consistent precipitation, less water usage and little evaporation. Warm weather causes peak usage and scorching southern temperatures which leads to evaporation of lakes, streams and groundwater. 

John Tomko, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said most spots in Greenville County received about four inches of rain in January, and 3.9 inches in December, both falling within the normal expectation of roughly four inches for this time of year. 

"We're running around normal in the Upstate, but we had been dry before," Tomko said. 

Pickens County received five inches of rain in January, but over the course of 2011, the county only received 42 inches of rain, with a normal annual rainfall total looking more like 50 to 52 inches. 

"It's going to take a while to beat down this drought," Tomko said. 

Still, the Upstate has undeniably benefited from higher rainfall totals than it had been experiencing, and is far wetter than the Lowcountry.

"If you're looking at the state overall, many places along the coast have received less than two inches of rain since Dec. 1," Mizzell said. 

"And at the opposite end, you've got Caesar's Head, which had more than 14 inches since Dec. 1." 

Mizzell added it's possible that some Upstate counties will see their drought statuses lowered, while some coastal counties see theirs heightened.