Last Updated on January 15, 2026 3:30 pm
In the latest drought update for North Carolina, most of the High Country remains in Moderate drought.
In the High Country, all of Watauga, Ashe, and Avery are in Moderate drought status.
The weekly update, put out by the North Carolina Drought Management Council, shows 59 counties in the Severe Drought category, 39 counties in Moderate Drought, and 2 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
- Alamance
- Anson
- Beaufort
- Bertie
- Bladen
- Cabarrus
- Caswell
- Chatham
- Cleveland
- Craven
- Cumberland
- Davidson
- Davie
- Duplin
- Durham
- Edgecombe
- Forsyth
- Franklin
- Gaston
- Graham
- Granville
- Greene
- Guilford
- Halifax
- Harnett
- Hertford
- Hoke
- Iredell
- Johnston
- Lee
- Lenoir
- Lincoln
- Martin
- Mecklenburg
- Montgomery
- Moore
- Nash
- Northampton
- Orange
- Person
- Pitt
- Polk
- Randolph
- Richmond
- Rockingham
- Rowan
- Rutherford
- Sampson
- Scotland
- Stanly
- Stokes
- Swain
- Union
- Vance
- Wake
- Warren
- Wayne
- Wilson
- Yadkin
Total: 59
D1 Moderate Drought
- Alexander
- Alleghany
- Ashe
- Avery
- Brunswick
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Camden
- Catawba
- Cherokee
- Chowan
- Clay
- Columbus
- Currituck
- Dare
- Gates
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Hyde
- Jackson
- Jones
- Macon
- Madison
- McDowell
- Mitchell
- New Hanover
- Onslow
- Pamlico
- Pasquotank
- Pender
- Perquimans
- Robeson
- Surry
- Transylvania
- Tyrrell
- Washington
- Watauga
- Wilkes
- Yancey
Total: 39
D0 Abnormally Dry
- Caldwell
- Carteret
Total: 2
