Drought intensifies for five N.C. counties

According to the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council’s latest advisory issued Thursday, drought conditions have intensified in five counties in western North Carolina, while extreme and severe drought continue across most of the state.

Five counties in western North Carolina – Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes – are now classified in exceptional drought, while 66 counties are in extreme drought. Another 28 counties are in severe drought, and one county is in moderate drought.

“The drought is solidly entrenched and impacts are slowly increasing,” said Klaus Albertin, chair of the DMAC. “Stream levels were already at record lows in most areas. Reservoirs are slowly declining and utility conservation levels are ramping up.”

For counties in exceptional or extreme drought conditions, or D4 and D3 classifications, water systems are advised to follow their Water Shortage Response Plan and adhere to water use reduction measures. They must report weekly water use and conservation status online at the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resource’s Local Water Supply Plan website.

The public should check with their local water supply system for any information on water use restrictions that may be in place.  

Rainfall totals since August of last year in Boone are down more than 21 inches, and are down more than 18 inches in Wilmington and Raleigh compared with historical averages for the same period, according to the NC State Climate Office. Rainfall totals recorded by gages across the state are at record-low levels for many areas for the last six months, based on data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center. According to the state’s network of monitoring wells, groundwater levels are near record lows in many areas of the state.

“Looking at the forecasts, we are expecting to get, at best, an inch or an inch and a half in most places,” Albertin said. “If that actually happens, it will keep us at status quo. We typically get an inch of rain a week on average, so if we get an inch this week, we will break even — with no improvement or degradation in conditions.”

DMAC is a collaboration of drought experts from various government agencies in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina, and organized by DWR. DMAC members meet weekly and submit their drought condition recommendations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Drought Mitigation Center for updates to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a map of the nation’s drought conditions. DMAC’s drought map is updated weekly on Thursdays, based on conditions through the previous Tuesday. To view North Carolina’s drought map, visit www.ncdrought.org.

To learn more, visit our drought education page.