How much rain or snow falls on your roof during the year? What are the seasonal average temperatures? When is the thunderstorm or hurricane season?
Climate, or the average weather conditions of a specific region, affects everyone. From daily changes in weather to the change of seasons, climate regularly influences human decision-making. Plentiful water and a long growing season make agriculture productive. Yet one storm can devastate many lives.

Rainfall is one part of climate. Is the rainfall you receive spread evenly over the year or does it all fall during one monsoon-like month? Annual rainfall amount and distribution through the year determines the plants that can grow at your address. If your rainfall is less than 10 inches a year, or if 20 out of 25 inches usually pours down in one month, don't expect to find many trees. On the other hand, if your neighborhood receives more than 50 inches of rain in a typical year, you may have a hard time keeping your lawn trees and bushes neatly trimmed. Annual rainfall amount also influences soil erosion, fire danger, drinking water and farming.

Due to topographical variation, as well as the Gulf Stream off the coast, North Carolina has the largest climate variability of any state east of the Mississippi.
Investigate the climate in your region!


Check This Out!

State Climate Office of North Carolina Climate Normals
http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/cronos/normals.php
Go here to get the average highs and lows for every month across the state!

NOAA Coastal Services Center Historical Hurricane Tracks
http://maps.csc.noaa.gov/hurricanes/viewer.html
Check out the paths of hurricanes from the past!

NC OneMap
http://www.nconemap.com/
Just click on the NC OneMap logo to launch the program. Once launched, on the left side under the "Query" subheading, click on the mailbox icon. This allows you to type in your address. Enter your address and click the "Find Address" button. A box will come up with X and Y coordinates. Click where it says "GoTo" to zoom in to your address on the map. On the right side of the page are all of the layers you can turn on and off. NC OneMap can show you everything from river basins to elevation, landcover to weather. It's a FANTASTIC resource, and a great place to start learning about your ecological address!

For More Resources

The State Climate Office of North Carolina
The State Climate Office of North Carolina is the primary source for NC weather and climate information. Located in the Research III Building on the Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University, the State Climate Office (SCO) is actively involved in all aspects of climate research, education, and extension services.

The SCO is an extension of the University of North Carolina system and housed at NC State University. The SCO is supported by the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS), the NC Agricultural Research Service, and the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences (MEAS) in an effort to further understand the details and impacts of climate on industries and citizens in North Carolina.