WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C. — Drought conditions continue to expand across both North and South Carolina, as 30 counties in North Carolina are currently under a burn ban, including Mecklenburg County.
Wildfires continue to burn across portions of the Carolinas with a new one sparking in Watauga County Thursday morning near Deep Gap.
"It got pretty dicey there for a little while, but these guys were on top of it and calmed it down," said Deep Gap resident Andy Price.
The most significant change with the Nov. 9 update locally was over half of the 22 counties within WCNC Charlotte's viewing area are now under a severe drought, meaning a level 3/5. The other counties remain under a moderate drought, or a 2/5.
Additionally, portions of South Carolina near Greenville have bumped up to an extreme drought, 4/5.
With the latest United States drought monitor, 90% of North Carolina and South Carolina are under drier-than-normal conditions.
Duke Energy announced this week that they were implementing stage one drought restrictions. It encourages people to voluntarily save water.
A spokesperson for Duke Energy said it helps when it comes to water supply.
"So, if we are conserving water then there’s more water in the reservoir to be able to help us manage it a little better," stated Ellen Morton with Duke Energy.
Light rain and moisture returns to the forecast Friday and this weekend but accumulation looks to be minimal. Most likely, this rain will help prevent wildfires from spreading or getting worse.
However, with totals less than a tenth of an inch, we're unlikely to see improvement with drought conditions when the next update comes next Thursday, Nov. 16.
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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