Severe drought continues in parts of eastern North Carolina, moderate drought expands

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council classified eight counties in eastern North Carolina as experiencing severe drought, or D2 conditions, in the latest advisory issued Thursday.

The DMAC classified Beaufort, Columbus, Craven, Martin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and Washington counties as experiencing severe drought, or D2 conditions.  

For counties in severe drought, or D2, DMAC recommends water users should implement Water Shortage Response Plans, participate in regional and local coordination for the management of water resources, reexamine water delivery systems to minimize water loss and maximize efficiency, and eliminate nonessential users of water.

Another 50 counties in the Piedmont and western North Carolina were classified as experiencing moderate drought, or D1 conditions, while 32 counties were classified as abnormally dry.

“The effects of a very dry winter and early spring are starting to be seen,” said Klaus Albertin, chair of the DMAC. “Some areas are seeing a rainfall deficit of 6 to 10 inches since October. Impacts from ongoing drought conditions were limited in winter months, but will become more noticeable as we enter the growing season.”

DMAC is a collaboration of drought experts from various government agencies in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina, and organized by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR). Members of DMAC meet weekly and submit their drought condition recommendations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Drought Mitigation Center for updates to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a map of the nation’s drought conditions. DMAC’s drought map is updated weekly on Thursdays, based on conditions through the previous Tuesday. To view North Carolina’s drought map, visit www.ncdrought.org.

To learn more, visit https://www.ncdrought.org/education.