Last Updated on April 30, 2026 10:14 am
North Carolina's drought has reached its worst level yet, with Exceptional Drought (D4) — the highest classification on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale — appearing in the state for the first time in this drought cycle. Union County, south of Charlotte, is the first county to reach D4.
Extreme Drought (D3) has expanded to 61 counties, up from 47 last week. Six weeks ago, only 7 counties were at D3.
In the High Country, Ashe County has moved to Extreme Drought (D3) this week, joining Watauga, Avery, Caldwell, and Wilkes counties which were already at that level. Only Alleghany County remains in Severe Drought (D2) — the last High Country county not yet at D3.
Fourteen counties moved to D3 this week, including major population centers like Forsyth (Winston-Salem), Guilford (Greensboro), Cumberland (Fayetteville), and Gaston. More than 60 percent of North Carolina's 100 counties are now in Extreme or Exceptional Drought.
The weekly update, put out by the North Carolina Drought Management Council, shows all 100 counties experiencing some level of drought, with only six counties in the far northeast remaining at Moderate Drought (D1).
Drought categories are based on streamflow, groundwater levels, the amount of water stored in reservoirs, soil moisture, the time of year, and other relevant factors for assessing the extent and severity of dry conditions.
D4 – Exceptional Drought
- Union
Total: 1
D3 – Extreme Drought
- Alamance
- Alexander
- Anson
- Ashe
- Avery
- Brunswick
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Cabarrus
- Caldwell
- Caswell
- Catawba
- Chatham
- Cherokee
- Clay
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Cumberland
- Davidson
- Davie
- Durham
- Edgecombe
- Forsyth
- Franklin
- Gaston
- Graham
- Granville
- Guilford
- Halifax
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Hoke
- Iredell
- Jackson
- Lincoln
- Macon
- Madison
- McDowell
- Mecklenburg
- Mitchell
- Montgomery
- Nash
- Northampton
- Orange
- Person
- Polk
- Randolph
- Richmond
- Rockingham
- Rowan
- Rutherford
- Scotland
- Stanly
- Swain
- Transylvania
- Vance
- Wake
- Warren
- Watauga
- Wilkes
- Yancey
Total: 61
D2 – Severe Drought
- Alleghany
- Beaufort
- Bertie
- Bladen
- Carteret
- Craven
- Dare
- Duplin
- Greene
- Harnett
- Hertford
- Hyde
- Johnston
- Jones
- Lee
- Lenoir
- Martin
- Moore
- New Hanover
- Onslow
- Pamlico
- Pender
- Pitt
- Robeson
- Sampson
- Stokes
- Surry
- Tyrrell
- Washington
- Wayne
- Wilson
- Yadkin
Total: 32
D1 – Moderate Drought
- Camden
- Chowan
- Currituck
- Gates
- Pasquotank
- Perquimans
Total: 6
Residents are strongly encouraged to continue water conservation efforts and stay informed about local drought conditions.
