CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drought conditions are expanding across the Carolinas, Thursday's updated United States Drought Monitor (USDM) showed.
The weekly data, published on Thursdays through a collaboration with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, showed the impacts from more than two weeks without measurable rain in Charlotte.
In abnormally dry conditions, which are considered the entry-level tier for the report, extend across the western North Carolina mountains except in Ashe, Watauga, and Avery counties. The latter of which is not experiencing drought conditions.
Portions of Anson County in North Carolina and Chester County in South Carolina are under a moderate drought, which is one tier higher among drought rankings.
Drier-than-usual conditions sometimes cause leaves to brown and drop earlier than usual. This is a protective mechanism for trees as they try to conserve water and recover from drought stress.
Carolina drought conditions have not been severe but could worsen as the dry weather continues.
Over the past 30 days in the Carolinas, the USDM has identified two main factors for worsening drought conditions:
- Precipitation deficit between 3 and 5 inches in the Southern Appalachian mountains
- Lower streamflows
Streamflows is a term used to describe the amount of water flowing in a river or other body of water.
In both North and South Carolina, some crops have seen minor production impacts due to drought. Those crops include barley, corn, cotton, peanuts, soybeans, sunflowers, and winter wheat.
A bigger drought-related issue
Most likely, these drought conditions will not result in water restrictions.
The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council (DMAC) maintains standards for water conservation during drought conditions. While their standards 'strongly urges the implementation' of such restrictions, there are no such restrictions currently in place.
For abnormally dry conditions, the DMAC says irrigation systems should be restricted to odd- and even-numbered addresses. Limits to home gardens, car washing, and topping off of pools aren't suggested until a severe drought (D2).
The DMAC calls for no spray irrigation, no car washing, and no pool activities in the two harshest drought levels: extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4).
Between August 2007 and September 2008, the city of Charlotte experienced some of the worst drought conditions in the past 15 years. During that time period, homeowners and others faced water restrictions.
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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