CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The first United States Drought Monitor update of December worsened slightly compared to last month. There was a less than 5% increase in the extreme drought (D3 or level 4 out of 5) in both North and South Carolina.
North Carolina
- Drier-than normal (D0): 80%
- Moderate drought (D1): 58%
- Severe drought (D2): 31%
- Extreme drought (D3): 9%
South Carolina
- Drier-than normal (D0): 69%
- Moderate drought (D1): 41%
- Severe drought (D2): 15%
- Extreme drought (D3): 5%
With this update, just over 6.2 million people in North Carolina are under these drier-than-normal or drought conditions. In South Carolina, that number is just over 2 million.
Minor improvement to the drought could come Sunday when a storm system brings rain to the Carolinas. While the rain will be beneficial to the dry environment, it alone will not be enough to erase the persistent drought conditions.
RAISE YOUR WEATHER IQ: Understanding the U.S. Drought Monitor
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
WCNC Charlotte’s Weather IQ YouTube channel gives detailed explainers from the WCNC Charlotte meteorologists to help you learn and understand weather, climate and science. Watch previous stories where you can raise your Weather IQ in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.
