RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – With meteorological fall only days away, the latest drought map shows almost all of North Carolina received some rain the past week easing the year-long drought in a few areas, but some shortfalls still exist.
Most of the state remains in drought conditions, with several counties stuck in a stubborn extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report released on Thursday. Because many reservoirs and groundwater levels are still below normal in these areas, the public is encouraged to conserve water.
The northern Piedmont in the Roanoke River Basin continued its dry spell. Parts of Guilford, Rockingham, Caswell, Person and Granville counties remain in extreme drought, the second worst category, according to the latest drought map, which includes data from Aug. 18-25. Western Warren County received up to 2 inches of rain, but the eastern part of the county, along with Halifax County, saw as a little as 0.1 inch and are classified as in extreme drought. Kerr Lake in Vance, Granville and Warren counties dropped another foot during the week, and officials with the John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir along the Virginia state line expect to reduce power generation due to the lake’s low level.
Some areas on the southern coast recorded 2 to 8 inches of rain during the week, improving drought conditions in many counties. Part of Brunswick County, however, still remains in exceptional drought. The town of Longwood, in the southcentral part of the county, is experiencing its driest period on record over the past six months.
“The forecast for the southern coast is for above normal rain starting Friday, so those areas should continue to improve,” said Klaus Albertin, chair of the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council and Water Resources Engineer with the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources in a press release. “But looking ahead, the forecast for the entire state is for a hot, dry week or two. Conditions are improving, but as we have been saying, the drought isn’t over yet.”
The severe drought in parts of Western North Carolina continued to improve. As much as 4.9 inches of rain fell in the region, and parts of Transylvania County improved from severe to moderate drought, the second worst category. But streamflow and groundwater levels in parts of the county remain below normal or much below normal. Streamflow on the French Broad River at Rosman increased to its normal range.
Levels in streams and reservoirs in the central part of the state held fairly steady due to the near normal rainfall. Streamflows at locations in the Upper Cape Fear, Neuse and Tar-Pamlico river basins returned to the well-below-normal category. A few, such as Brush Creek at Muirfield Road in Guilford County and Little Fishing Creek near White Oak, are at record lows. The level of Falls Lake in Durham, Wake and Granville counties, which had increased due to heavy rains in July, continues to decline. Levels improved in Tanasee Creek, Wolf Creek and Bear Creek lakes in western North Carolina. Lake Norman and Lake Wylie in the Catawba River Basin remain below target elevations. More information on what the classifications mean for water systems and the public is available at ncdrought.org.