Last Updated on September 17, 2026 4:12 pm
North Carolina's drought worsened across the board this week, reversing the improvement trend that had been building since late May. Five counties that had reached drought-free status slipped back to Abnormally Dry (D0), and conditions deteriorated across multiple classifications.
In the High Country, Avery County slipped from drought-free back to Abnormally Dry (D0) after reaching drought-free status just two weeks ago. Caldwell County remains at D0. Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, and Wilkes counties remain in Moderate Drought (D1).
Extreme Drought (D3) ticked up from 7 to 8 counties as Stokes County worsened from D2. Severe Drought (D2) expanded from 20 to 23 counties, with Wake County (Raleigh) among those moving from D1 to D2. Drought-free counties dropped from 17 to 12.
Buncombe County (Asheville), Madison, Mitchell, and Yancey also returned to D0 after previously exiting drought.
The weekly update, put out by the North Carolina Drought Management Council, shows 88 counties experiencing some level of drought or abnormally dry conditions — up from 83 two weeks ago.
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.
D3 – Extreme Drought
- Brunswick
- Caswell
- Guilford
- Halifax
- Person
- Rockingham
- Stokes
- Warren
Total: 8
D2 – Severe Drought
- Alamance
- Bladen
- Columbus
- Duplin
- Forsyth
- Franklin
- Granville
- Greene
- Jackson
- Lenoir
- Macon
- Nash
- Northampton
- Orange
- Pitt
- Robeson
- Surry
- Transylvania
- Vance
- Wake
- Wayne
- Wilson
- Yadkin
Total: 23
D1 – Moderate Drought
- Alexander
- Alleghany
- Anson
- Ashe
- Bertie
- Cabarrus
- Catawba
- Chatham
- Cherokee
- Clay
- Cleveland
- Craven
- Davidson
- Davie
- Durham
- Edgecombe
- Harnett
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Hertford
- Hoke
- Iredell
- Johnston
- Jones
- Lee
- Lincoln
- Martin
- Montgomery
- Moore
- Onslow
- Pender
- Randolph
- Richmond
- Sampson
- Scotland
- Stanly
- Swain
- Union
- Watauga
- Wilkes
Total: 40
D0 – Abnormally Dry
- Avery
- Beaufort
- Buncombe
- Caldwell
- Carteret
- Cumberland
- Gaston
- Gates
- Graham
- Madison
- Mecklenburg
- Mitchell
- New Hanover
- Pamlico
- Polk
- Rowan
- Yancey
Total: 17
Residents are strongly encouraged to continue water conservation efforts and stay informed about local drought conditions.
