After an unseasonably cold late winter, an early-April heat wave has left many in the Piedmont wondering what happened to spring. On Tuesday, temperatures at Horace Williams Airport reached 90 degrees, beating a record of 87 set in 1986.
Coupled with the heat has been a long dry spell and the annual pollen dusting. Decks, sidewalks and shoes turned light green as the pines got frisky. Tree pollen counts were listed as very high all week and the Weather Channel listed Raleigh as one of its allergy hot spots.
Water use has shifted considerably as well. January and February saw above normal rainfall but March ended more than an inch below normal and April has yet to produce precipitation. Some rainfall is possible along with a cold front headed through the state on Thursday and Friday. Beyond that, clear warm weather is forecast to return for the next week.
Although reservoirs remain at 100 percent of capacity, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority is reporting a steady increase in water use. OWASA customers used an average of 6.8 million gallons per day in March. This week, water use jumped to 7.7 million gallons on Monday and 8.3 million on Tuesday.
The hot dry air has also led to an increase in ozone levels, with Code Orange conditions declared in Charlotte and Code Yellow conditions declared for the Triangle. Code Yellow indicates that the outside air is unhealthy for people with chronic breathing difficulties. State air-quality officials have suggested that residents take the following measures to reduce air pollution:
• Limit driving by riding the bus, walking, bicycling or postponing trips.
• If you drive, avoid idling for long periods of time, stay within speed limits, combine errands to reduce the number of small trips and use vehicles with higher fuel economies.
• Conserve electricity by setting thermostats at the highest comfortable temperature and turning off appliances that are not in use.
—Staff Reports