Posted on Mon, Apr. 10, 2006

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Grand Strand officially in first stages of drought

The good news is the cold spell that hit the Carolinas over the weekend is expected to end this week.

The bad news is that the Grand Strand is in the first stages of a drought, said forecasters at the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

The term being used by national expert is "abnormally dry," forecasters said Dave Loewenthal, a Weather Service forecaster.

"The U.S. drought monitor has us in an abnormally dry stage," said Dave Loewenthal, a forecaster in Wilmington.

The area has had at least eight inches of rain since January and is about 3.7 inches below normal for the year, he said.

Temperatures are expected to warm up later this week, he said. Some rain is expected for the weekend.

- Kelly Marshall, The Sun News