Drought Monitor Update – Thursday, August 1, 2024

Last Updated on August 1, 2024 7:33 pm

In the latest drought update for North Carolina, conditions are much improved for the High Country due to recent rains.

Watauga County has improved from severe drought conditions two weeks ago, to moderate drought last week to abnormally dry status this week.

Ashe County remains in abnormally dry conditions.

Avery County improves to abnormally dry status across the whole county.

The weekly update, put out by the North Carolina Drought Management Council, shows zero counties in the Extreme Drought status, 1 county in the Severe Drought category, 6 counties in Moderate Drought, and 48 counties in Abnormally Dry status.

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.

D2 – Severe Drought

• Yadkin

Total: 1

D1 – Moderate Drought

• Clay
• Columbus
• Davie
• Forsyth
• Rockingham
• Stokes

Total: 6

D0 – Abnormally Dry

• Alexander
• Alleghany
• Ashe
• Avery
• Bladen
• Buncombe
• Burke
• Caldwell
• Carteret
• Caswell
• Catawba
• Cherokee
• Cleveland
• Davidson
• Gaston
• Graham
• Greene
• Guilford
• Haywood
• Henderson
• Iredell
• Jackson
• Jones
• Lenoir
• Lincoln
• Macon
• Madison
• McDowell
• Mitchell
• Montgomery
• Moore
• Onslow
• Pitt
• Polk
• Randolph
• Richmond
• Robeson
• Rowan
• Rutherford
• Scotland
• Surry
• Swain
• Transylvania
• Union
• Watauga
• Wayne
• Wilkes
• Yancey

Total: 48

D3 – Extreme Drought

Total: 0