Evaluating Precipitation Trends in South Carolina

The water and precipitation levels have gained increased attention in recent years due to their vital role in South Carolina’s agriculture and tourism industries. This study aims to determine the precipitation trends in the state and evaluate whether those trends are statistically significant. Precipitation data from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), a government database that stores comprehensive rain gauge data was used. And using the programming language R, allowed for the trends to be investigated. Analysis was conducted using R and its package (specific code that helped organize and read data) designed to manage, organize, and analyze NOAA’s data. This application was used to generate time series graphs (graphs that span over time) to illustrate the precipitation trends in SC. Additionally, Mann-Kendall and Sen’s Slope Estimators were applied to evaluate the significance of the trend and the rate of change in the precipitation trends. The results demonstrated that South Carolina has been experiencing a slow, downward trend in precipitation levels. Via the Mann-Kendall Test, it was determined that the current trend is statically insignificant. This suggests that currently there is no cause for concern regarding water shortages because of decreasing precipitation levels. Although the current trend does not warrant any action, continuous monitoring of SC’s water levels is essential, as future changes could have damaging effects.