Wilmington found itself starting 2025 in familiar territory − in drought.
And the Cape Fear region isn’t alone.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, almost all of Eastern North Carolina and the Sandhills is in “moderate drought,” while much of Central North Carolina is classified as “abnormally dry.”
How did we get here?
Well, the simple answer is a lack of rain. The causes, however, could be more complicated.
The paucity of moisture in the Port City really picked up this fall.
According to the National Weather Service’s Wilmington office, the rain gauge at Wilmington International Airport recorded 1.8 inches of rain in December, compared to 3.7 inches for a monthly normal.
That comes after the Port City saw 1.25 inches of precipitation in November, well below the norm of 3.6 inches.
Months of below-normal rainfall have left the Wilmington area in moderate drought and neighborhood retention ponds, like this one in New Hanover County’s Murrayville area, increasingly dry.
And while the airport recorded 8.53 inches of rain in September, which is near normal, that amount plummeted to 0.13 inches in October. Normal rainfall for that month is 4.66 inches.
For 2024, Wilmington saw a little over 52.6 inches of rain, with much of that from September’s unnamed storm and the heavy rain bands brought on by Tropical Storm Helene a few weeks later. That compares to an annual normal of more than 60 inches.
In the first five days of January, the Port City officially recorded no rain.
DROUGHT WATCH: After September’s deluges, where has Wilmington’s rain gone?
The latest drought map, released Jan. 1, shows most of Eastern N.C. and the Sandhills in “moderate drought.”
What have been the impacts?
Because it’s winter, most tourists are giving the region a pass as temperatures fall, and lawns have gone dormant, the drought’s effects have largely been limited to farmers worrying about falling water tables heading into planting season. More visible signs of the dry weather have been the sight of low or dry retention ponds dotting subdivisions across the region.
But if the region doesn’t see some substantial rains in the next few weeks, those impacts could become much more noticeable and worrisome as temperatures rise, growing season begins, and visitors start flocking back to the beach.
Already, officials that conduct prescribed burns − a necessary step to reduce the risk from out-of-control wildfires and to help improve and protect vital longleaf pine habitats − are fretting over the dry conditions and the added challenges that brings.
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Federal forecasters are predicting that the region’s moderate drought could persist through March.
What happens now?
Well, it’s not looking good − at least in the short term.
According to federal forecasters, Wilmington’s moderate drought conditions could potentially persist through at least March.
Officials also are still expecting the world’s weather to enter a weak La Niña in early 2025, which historically means warmer and drier than average conditions in the Southeast during the winter.
Climate change also is a growing concern among researchers as a warming world means hotter temperatures and extended periods of dry weather pocketed with a few heavy rainfall events instead of more frequent, lighter rains. The Wilmington region might have gotten a taste of that last fall when September’s record-soaking rains were followed by a bone-dry October.
Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at GMcGrath@Gannett.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from the Green South Foundation and the Prentice Foundation. The USA TODAY Network maintains full editorial control of the work.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington, NC, starts 2025 in drought, with short-term future looking dry