Name: Drought in North Carolina, January 1 to 31, 2008
Start: 2008-01-01T00:00
End: 2008-01-31T23:59
Location: North Carolina

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ILM wrote it up.

All of southeast North Carolina continued in an extreme drought, with conditions impoving slightly toward the end of the month.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 11:55 PM EST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 11:55 PM EST, 5 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 31, 4:10 PM EST, 7 hours 50 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Bladen

When: January 1, 12:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Bladen forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 34.614, -78.563 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ongoing drought conditions in southeast North Carolina continued to be classified in the Extreme (D3) category. Streamflows remained around the 5th percentile of normal. Rainfall during the month was at or above normal for most areas, improving drought conditions slightly toward the end of the month, with coastal counties downgraded to Severe (D2).

Drought, Brunswick

When: January 1, 12:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Brunswick forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee

Ongoing drought conditions in southeast North Carolina continued to be classified in the Extreme (D3) category. Streamflows remained around the 5th percentile of normal. Rainfall during the month was at or above normal for most areas, improving drought conditions slightly toward the end of the month, with coastal counties downgraded to Severe (D2).

Drought, Columbus

When: January 1, 12:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Columbus forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 34.265, -78.655 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ongoing drought conditions in southeast North Carolina continued to be classified in the Extreme (D3) category. Streamflows remained around the 5th percentile of normal. Rainfall during the month was at or above normal for most areas, improving drought conditions slightly toward the end of the month, with coastal counties downgraded to Severe (D2).

Drought, New Hanover

When: January 1, 12:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: New Hanover forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee

Ongoing drought conditions in southeast North Carolina continued to be classified in the Extreme (D3) category. Streamflows remained around the 5th percentile of normal. Rainfall during the month was at or above normal for most areas, improving drought conditions slightly toward the end of the month, with coastal counties downgraded to Severe (D2).

Drought, Pender

When: January 1, 12:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Pender forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee

Ongoing drought conditions in southeast North Carolina continued to be classified in the Extreme (D3) category. Streamflows remained around the 5th percentile of normal. Rainfall during the month was at or above normal for most areas, improving drought conditions slightly toward the end of the month, with coastal counties downgraded to Severe (D2).

Drought, Robeson

When: January 1, 12:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Robeson forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 34.640, -79.103 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ongoing drought conditions in southeast North Carolina continued to be classified in the Extreme (D3) category. Streamflows remained around the 5th percentile of normal. Rainfall during the month was at or above normal for most areas, improving drought conditions slightly toward the end of the month, with coastal counties downgraded to Severe (D2).

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, January 2008

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 76001, 76002, 76003, 76004, 76006, 76007.