The extended winter season and high amounts of snow this year have affected the state in several ways, for better or for worse.
State departments reported losses of money, time and agricultural production because of the weather.
Clearing roads costs money
The N.C. Department of Transportation has had to work overtime and rehire some temporary workers’ help to deal with the abnormal amount of winter “events,” said Steve Abbott, communications officer for the department.
Outside contractors also had to be called in because of the lack of adequate equipment needed to clear the roads, Abbott said.
Originally the department had budgeted $20 million for the 2009-10 fiscal year for winter-weather work.
As of Feb. 15, the department had reached $45 million in expenses, which includes $548,800 for Orange County, Abbott said.
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Crop production suffers
The season has caused a poor harvest for soybeans and a downturn in good wheat, said Randy Weisz, small grains specialist at the Department of Crop Science at N.C. State University.
The cool temperatures in the fall delayed the soybean harvest, and the excessive rain in November forced farmers to harvest late or lose valuable crops.
The late harvest led to late planting for wheat, and poor weather conditions have not helped the crop, Weisz said.
He also said wheat acreage is down tremendously from what it usually is at this time of year, possibly 30 percent of normal amounts, and a lot of what has been planted isn’t looking good.
“It’s worrying that many growers who had a bad soybean crop are now going to have a bad wheat crop as well,” Weisz said.
Tourism boosted and hurt
The snow has had both positive and negative effects on tourism in the state, said Wit Tuttell, director of public relations for the N.C. Department of Commerce tourism division.
“Ski areas do a tremendous business and have such a short season. They really depend on the snow,” Tuttell said.
The snow has helped out ski resorts and surrounding destinations in North Carolina, he said.
However, many other destinations in the Piedmont could be suffering from the bad weather. They might have canceled events where tourists spend their money, Tuttell said.
“It probably balances out,” he said.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
