Last Updated on May 7, 2026 10:03 am
North Carolina's drought has worsened for the seventh straight week, with Extreme Drought expanding to 67 counties — two-thirds of the state. Union County remains in Exceptional Drought (D4), the highest classification.
All six High Country counties are now in Extreme Drought (D3). Alleghany County — the last in the region still at Severe Drought — moved to D3 this week, joining Watauga, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, and Wilkes.
Six counties moved to D3 this week: Alleghany, Lee, Moore, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin. Seven weeks ago, only 7 counties were in Extreme 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
- Alleghany
- 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
- Lee
- Lincoln
- Macon
- Madison
- McDowell
- Mecklenburg
- Mitchell
- Montgomery
- Moore
- Nash
- Northampton
- Orange
- Person
- Polk
- Randolph
- Richmond
- Rockingham
- Rowan
- Rutherford
- Scotland
- Stanly
- Stokes
- Surry
- Swain
- Transylvania
- Vance
- Wake
- Warren
- Watauga
- Wilkes
- Yadkin
- Yancey
Total: 67
D2 – Severe Drought
- Beaufort
- Bertie
- Bladen
- Carteret
- Craven
- Dare
- Duplin
- Greene
- Harnett
- Hertford
- Hyde
- Johnston
- Jones
- Lenoir
- Martin
- New Hanover
- Onslow
- Pamlico
- Pender
- Pitt
- Robeson
- Sampson
- Tyrrell
- Washington
- Wayne
- Wilson
Total: 26
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.
