The Triad’s weather last year gave us a few dry spells, as it had during the past two years, but during 2009 we also experienced our share of flash-flood warnings and even some monsoon-like conditions a couple of times.

After recording below “normal” amounts of precipitation during 2007 and 2008, the Triad’s official National Weather Service recording site at Piedmont Triad International Airport told us that last year 46.04 inches of precipitation (nearly all rain, of course) fell on the Triad. That was up 7.25 inches from the 38.79 inches in 2008 and 2.9 inches above what the weather service calls normal (43.14 inches) for this area.

So, we’d say that dire predictions of prolonged drought for the area based on just a year or so of rainfall amounts were overstated. In fact, state officials reported just a few weeks ago that all areas across the state experiencing drought conditions during the past two years had returned to normal. That’s not to say, however, that the “normal” of having plenty of rainfall is here to stay.

If recent patterns hold true, 2010 could bring another downturn in rainfall amounts. The recent trend has been two years of lower than average precipitation and a year or two of higher than normal amounts.

Last year’s 46.04 inches of rain was good for replenishing regional reservoirs and future reservoirs such as Randleman Lake, but the necessity of completing the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority’s water treatment plant on that lake stands out.

Rainfall could dip again, so officials of PTRWA and the group’s member cities must push on and complete the long-awaited water treatment plant during the coming year and get the regional water distribution system into operation. That’s because the Triad obviously has more of a water storage problem than a water shortage problem. Growth in the region, particularly in Greensboro, outran municipal/regional moves to assure sufficient supplies of water.

The normal fluctuations in rainfall for this area shouldn’t be grounds for fear and panic that we see sometimes from some among us. Instead, municipal officials should stay ahead of the curves. With completion of the Randleman Lake project, they will be.