Murphy – Drought conditions have worsened across North Carolina, with 15 counties – including all of Cherokee and Clay – experiencing extreme drought.
Most North Carolina counties are experiencing severe or moderate drought, according to the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council.
In addition to all of Cherokee and Clay counties, parts of Graham, Macon, Swain and Macon counties are also experiencing extreme drought.
There are five levels of drought classifications, with most of the state at the third highest classification – severe drought. Extreme drought is the second highest classification, followed by exceptional drought, which, so far at least, has not been observed during this drought period anywhere in North Carolina.
Based on data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center, precipitation totals for the last six months are almost 10 inches below normal for many areas across the state, with some areas experiencing greater deficits.
Rainfall stations at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, at Hickory and in the Charlotte area have recorded their driest six months on record. Many streams and rivers are at all-time low levels, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.
“Winter is usually the time when North Carolina’s water supplies get replenished due to good rains and low-water demand, but those good rains did not happen this winter,” said Klaus Albertin, chair of the DMAC. “The rain we’ve had so far has not been enough to make up for the precipitation deficit. The snowfall that we had this winter had lower-than-normal water content, with snow-to-water equivalents of more than 20 inches of snow to 1 inch of water.”
While impacts from drought have been limited due to lower water demand in the winter months, more significant effects are expected for water systems, agriculture and water recreation if the drought continues, Albertin said.
“We could see poor growth for farmers at the start of the growing season, or delays in planting, low reservoir levels and closed boat launches,” Albertin said.
For counties in extreme drought, or D3 conditions, 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 through the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resource’s Local Water Supply Plan website.
“The public should follow any local water supply restrictions,” Albertin said. “Municipal websites are usually the best place to look for information on restrictions that are in place.”
Due to increased wildfire risk, the N.C. Forest Service issued a ban on all open burning and canceled all burning permits statewide on March 28. The ban remains in effect.
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 ncdrought.org.