Does it rain all the time in NC? (Charlotte, Hickory: rent, home)

[mm34b]

PRECIPITATION - While there are no distinct wet and dry seasons in North Carolina, average rainfall does vary around the year. Summer precipitation is normally the greatest, and July is the wettest month. Summer rainfall is also the most variable, occurring mostly in connection with showers and thunderstorms. Daily showers are not uncommon, nor are periods of one to two weeks without rain. Autumn is the driest season, and November the driest month. Precipitation during winter and spring occurs mostly in connection with migratory low pressure storms, which appear with greater regularity and in a more even distribution than summer showers. In southwestern North Carolina, where moist southerly winds are forced upward in passing over the mountain barrier, the annual average is more than 90 inches. This region is the rainiest in the eastern United States. Less than 50 miles to the north, in the valley of the French Broad River, sheltered by mountain ranges on all sides, is the driest point south of Virginia and east of the Mississippi River. Here the average annual precipitation is only 37 inches. East of the Mountains, average annual rainfall ranges mostly between 40 and 55 inches.

Winter-type precipitation usually occurs with southerly through easterly winds, and is seldom associated with very cold weather. Snow and sleet occur on an average once or twice a year near the coast, and not much more often over the southeastern half of the State. Such occurrences are nearly always connected with northeasterly winds, generated when a high pressure system over the interior, or northeastern United States, causes a southward flow of cold dry air down the coastline, while offshore a low pressure system brings in warmer, moist air from the North Atlantic. Farther inland, over the Mountains and western Piedmont, frozen precipitation sometimes occurs in connection with low pressure storms, and in the extreme west with cold front passages from the northwest. Average winter snowfall over the State ranges from about inch per year on the outer banks and along the lower coast to about 10 inches in the northern Piedmont and 16 inches in the southern Mountains. Some of the higher mountain peaks and upper slopes receive an average of nearly 50 inches a year.

GREATEST 24-HOUR RAINFALL

22.22 inches Altapass, Mitchell County July 15-16, 1916

WETTEST WEATHER STATION

91.72 inches Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County annual average

DRIEST WEATHER STATION

37.32 inches Asheville (Downtown), Buncombe County annual average

MAXIMUM SINGLE STATION PRECIPITATION FOR ANY CALENDAR YEAR

129.60 inches Rosman, Transylvania County 1964

MINIMUM SINGLE STATION PRECIPITATION FOR ANY CALENDAR YEAR

22.69 inches Mount Airy, Surry County 1930

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

[I'minformed2]

It depends on where you are in the state. In the eastern/coastal areas, it is more of the situation where you get heavy rain and all day storms every once in a while (especially durring Hurricane season when any tropical system in the Atlantic almost always affects NC at one time or another), but in the Mountains, it is more of a steady rain often. I believe there are some areas in western NC that recieive over 80 inches of rainfall a year; while most of the state has an avarage rainfall somewhere in the mid-40's.

[msmission]

Thanks everybody!!
I'm convinced and not going to worry about RAIN.
Where's my suitcase?

[hapaleeretired]

If you are considering Hickory take a look at the Northlakes area of Caldwell County. It has a Hickory address but Caldwell County taxes which are a lot less. If schools are an issue South Caldwell is highly rated. If employment is an issue it may be a problem. The economy is reeling from all of the furniture manufacturing jobs going to China. Charlotte is a pretty long commute from Hickory in horrible traffic. We moved to Caldwell County for the weather. It has been wonderful. When it does rain in the summer it doesn't rain all over.You can drive into and out of it any number of times. We have four seasons none of which are extreme. You want snow? Drive forty miles and go skiing. If it gets too hot for you go up the the cool of the mountains for a picnic or some hiking. Something that hasn't been mentioned is lightening. There is a whole lot of here at times and it can be pretty scary. I have been told that we are second to only Orlando Florida in lightening strikes. Also, if you have allergies this area can be brutal in the Spring and Fall.
Good luck.

[south.charlotte&union]

I was surprised to hear those rain statistics -- especially knowing what my water bill is...and that there are sometimes we are on water restrictions because of drought conditions! Best of luck in your move and please feel free to PM me if you would like assistance with your relocation

[mendenhall_tom]

We moved here to Hickory, NC in June of 2006 from Southern CA (L.A. area). We have been here for almost a year now. To answer your question, it rains more often than So. Cal., but it's definitely not Seattle. (We actually get to see the sun). I think that the western part of NC has just under 300 sun days a year. When it rains, you might get about a 1/2 inch or maybe 1-2 inches. It might rain once or twice in a 2-week period (except in the summer when the surprise Thunder Storms move in.) That's something that we used to see from a distance in CA (usually over the high deserts, but not actually experience in the LA basin.)

If you go to weather.com and look at the rainfall, it is pretty much an average of about 3-4 inches per month. Lately, we've been a little short, so the grass along the roads is not really green like it was last summer. It will probably catch up this summer. But believe me, there's plenty of time for sun, water skiing, boating, etc even with the summer showers.

Good luck with your decision. We did a lot of research before we moved (schools, salary, housing, etc)

[joanchris2000]

Moderator cut: link removed

If you check the link above (and you can plug in any zip code you want) you'll see that there are 214 sunny days a year in Indian Trail. I plugged in Seattle and it was 152. I don't know what exactly counts as a sunny day, but even though where I used to live in CT says 205 sunny days it seemed like it rained more often than that, certainly compared to here (which is Fayetteville right now but I understand we're pretty close to Charlotte weather, it's only 2 hrs away)

[liveInNC]

Originally Posted by msmission

We are seriously considering moving to the Hickory or Charlotte area. But when I researched the weather it says they get 48 inches of rainfall a year.
Is this a every day drizzle like Oregon (willamette valley) or rain from a sudden thundrstorm, where it rains very hard for a short while and then is over?
I live in Southern California now, and I'm wondering if we can take that much rain. Can any of you California people that have moved to NC tell me how it is??

From my experiences, you will get a surprise heavy rainstorm if you leave your car windows open or your power tools outside. The rain will end shortly after you run outside and get soaked to roll up your windows or save your tools.

[groove1]

It rains a decent amount in the "winter" months too. This is basically the warmer version of the same snowstorms up north.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by msmission

We are seriously considering moving to the Hickory or Charlotte area. But when I researched the weather it says they get 48 inches of rainfall a year.
Is this a every day drizzle like Oregon (willamette valley) or rain from a sudden thundrstorm, where it rains very hard for a short while and then is over?
I live in Southern California now, and I'm wondering if we can take that much rain. Can any of you California people that have moved to NC tell me how it is??

I'm from the Valley of the Sun and I'll tell you it's nice here in Charlotte. I've only been here since Feb and it has only rained a handful of times, it's usually bright and sunny. The weather is heavenly so far. I haven't missed the weather in Phoenix yet and I don't think I will. Well maybe in the Winter.

It's certainly not gloomy with no everyday drizzle, I would hate that and I would be out of here.