N.C. declared drought-free
Drought maps are released every Thursday, based on conditions as of 8 a.m. the previous Tuesday. N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council map
For the first time since August, North Carolina is now drought-free. Some areas of Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon and Dare counties remain abnormally dry, but the remaining 95 counties are now at or above normal moisture levels.
Drought’s disappearing act comes less than two months after the state saw its peak extent of drought. In early December, almost 9% of the state was in extreme drought, which made this the state’s worst drought since the fall of 2016.
The mountains and western piedmont picked up more than 2 inches of rain during the last full week of January. Most of the state is at or above normal precipitation since Dec. 1, but some coastal areas have been trending drier in recent weeks. The heaviest rainfall totals during the last full week of January came across Henderson and Transylvania counties, with up to 7 inches observed.
