Drought becomes extreme in far western N.C.
Even as Eastern North Carolina is reeling from flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew, Western North Carolina is plunging deeper into drought, with the drought in Macon, Cherokee and Clay counties now classified as extreme. The rest of the western region is slightly less dry, but only slightly — it is classified as experiencing severe drought.
A lack of significant rainfall in recent months has caused below-normal groundwater levels and stream flows, and agriculture has been hit hard by the lack of water, with producers experiencing major crop and pasture loss. However, the drought has not yet had an impact on county water supply systems.
This is the first time since August 2011 that any part of North Carolina has experienced extreme drought conditions. Another nine North Carolina counties are in severe drought, eight are in moderate drought and six are abnormally dry.
Drought classifications and current water restrictions are available at www.ncdrought.org.
Help save water
Water is scarce in Western North Carolina, and the public is encouraged to help conserve water until the drought is over.
- Don’t water lawns or wash cars.
- Check for leaks inside and outside of homes.
- Install low-flow toilets rather than conventional toilets and change shower heads to low-flow fixtures.
- Run only full loads of laundry or dishes.
- Turn off the faucet while brushing teeth.
