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Moderate drought expands in WNC

The moderate drought now covers more Western North Carolina counties. The moderate drought now covers more Western North Carolina counties. From ncdrought.org

Last week brought a moderate drought back to parts of Western North Carolina, and the latest state drought monitor report confirmed that the drought has expanded.


Counties now in a moderate drought are Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain —southern Haywood County is also seeing a moderate drought. The report also expanded the number of counties that are abnormally dry to cover most of the western part of the state.

Groundwater and surface water reservoirs typically see higher demand for water during the summer, and the ongoing drought conditions could result in water restrictions. Some counties have updated their water conservation status on ncdrought.org. 

For areas in moderate drought, or D1, DMAC recommends water users should adhere to local water use restrictions, project water needs and available water supply for 90 days, among other recommendations. 

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