Warning Graphic Images of Drought in Snow

The skies have opened up for the last two days. So much so, that I literally got on my boots to check how much flow was coming out of my retaining wall's weep holes in my backyard, how much flow was being bypassed from my rain barrel, and how much flow was in the ditch in our front yard. Water still amazes me.

As a bonus, we even had close to 3 inches of snow last night. Now, Clemson is a one snow a year town. So, needless to say, all schools in the area are cancelled today. So, it looks like I will be on a micro vacation.  Time to fashion some sort of sled from assorted materials in the garage.

Even with all this rain and snow, I still wonder whether we will ever come out of this drought. Here is why:

The little red spot over Clemson shrinks and expands but never goes away. We have been in a drought 8 of the last 10 years.
No improvement really on the horizon.

We have a 5% chance of getting enough precipitation to end the drought in six months. I am not sure if I like those odds.
We would need close to 20 inches of rain in the next two months to put a nail in this drought's coffin. I am not buying any nails soon.


Finally, here is the last four year's worth of water elevation data for Lake Hartwell. Notice any patterns?