Much of North Carolina continues to experience moderate drought, according to the latest advisory from the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council.

The DMAC classified all or parts of 65 counties, including all of The Smoky Mountain News coverage area, as experiencing moderate drought, or D1 conditions. 

The National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration continue to work toward emergency repairs for U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road following the Aug. 1 washout and landslide. The agencies plan to award a contract in August and expect that construction will be complete in early October.

North Carolina is drought-free in the latest advisory issued Thursday by the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council (DMAC), marking the first time since Oct. 15 that the state has been free of drought or abnormally dry conditions. 

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced that the Agricultural Disaster Crop Loss Program is open and accepting online applications through May 4 from farmers who suffered crop losses from Hurricane Helene, Tropical Storm Debby and drought and other weather-related conditions in 2024. 

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified most of the state as abnormally dry, while 56 counties are at least partially in a moderate drought, including almost the entire Smoky Mountain News coverage area. 

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council continues to classify much of Eastern North Carolina as being in a moderate drought, but the entire western part of the state has returned to normal.

After several weeks of increasingly dry conditions, Western North Carolina has finally seen some much-needed rain, taking the whole region out of drought conditions and into a “moderately dry state.” 

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has again classified the whole state as at least abnormally dry with a moderate drought now affecting the entire Smoky Mountain News coverage area other than a sliver of northern Haywood County. 

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified parts of Western North Carolina as being in a moderate drought.

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified the whole state as at least abnormally dry and a moderate drought has spread in the eastern part of the state, according to the latest advisory released Thursday.