GREENSBORO, N.C. — Drought is becoming a serious problem in North Carolina, and it's getting worse. New numbers released Thursday show more than half of the state is now facing a "severe drought", up from just 17% of the state last week.
"Much of the state has been in a dry pattern over the past three to six months, with generally above-normal temperatures and few to no tropical systems bringing widespread rainfall relief,” said Corey Davis, Assistant State Climatologist with the NC State Climate Office. “The dryness has been especially pronounced since early October. Less than one inch of rain fell in most areas last month. It’s the driest November in 90 years in North Carolina.”
Here in the Triad, November was even worse than that. Just 0.30" of rain fell at PTI Airport in Greensboro during the month. We're still searching for rain here in December as the month has started with only a trace of rainfall.
NC DROUGHT MAP
- Severe drought (level 2 out of 5) stretches across the Coastal Plain, Eastern NC, the Sandhills, and the Charlotte area. A small portion along the NC/VA border is also included
- Moderate drought (level 1 out of 5) includes us here in the Triad, much of central NC, and the Triangle
- Conditions are less severe in Western NC and the mountains, which are just considered abnormally dry at this time
Severe drought is the second category of the four drought classifications based on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Last May, portions of six counties were briefly classified as severe. Prior to that time, severe drought last occurred during the month of October 2019.
Virtually all the State, except a few localized areas near the western border, are experiencing dry conditions based on factors including streamflow, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, soil moisture, and fire danger.
Of course we've already seen the effects of drought here in the Piedmont. Two wildfires have hit the Sauratown Mountains region over the past month: one at Sauratown Mountain, and a larger one on Pilot Mountain. Fire danger remains high, and a burn ban remains in effect for our region.
