Forecaster says rain coming to parched NC mountains

RALEIGH — Forecasters said last week to be patient because the rain would come to North Carolina’s drought-stricken mountains and now it has.

Some areas of extreme southwestern North Carolina were getting rain early Monday as remnants of Tropical Storm Fay moved in from northeast Georgia, where some rainfall of 3 to 4 inches had been recorded.

Meteorologist Doug Outlaw at the National Weather Service in Greer, S.C., said a few inches of rain were expected Monday. Outlaw said the system was expected to move into the Piedmont areas of North Carolina by Tuesday.

The rain could help water systems and farmers in 21 southwestern North Carolina counties listed in the exceptional drought category by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)