Drought continues across North Carolina, with severity easing
Many areas in North Carolina received rain over the last week, continuing to ease widespread drought. However, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report released on Thursday, most of the state is still in moderate to severe drought, with Brunswick County experiencing the worst drought conditions. With many reservoir levels still below normal, the public is still encouraged to conserve water.
Some areas of the state saw near-normal rainfall of about 1 inch in the last week, with larger amounts falling in isolated storms. Radar estimated that nearly 1 foot of rain fell in Surry County over the weekend, causing the worst flooding for that area in nearly 50 years. Despite recent rains, some reservoir levels are still below average due to the year-long drought, which was caused by below normal rainfall from August 2025 to June 2026. Falls Lake in Durham, Wake and Granville counties is nearly 3 feet below normal. Tanasee Creek, Wolf Creek and Bear Creek lakes in western North Carolina and Lake Norman and Lake Wylie in the Catawba basin remain below target elevations. W. Kerr Scott Reservoir and Jordan Lake are at their target elevations.
Streamflows in the Mountains and Coastal Plain are continuing to improve. Flows in the Tuckasegee basin in Western North Carolina and the Catawba and Roanoke basins in the central part of the state experienced smaller improvements this week.
“A rainy July brought steady improvements in drought conditions across most of North Carolina,” said Klaus Albertin, chair of the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council and Water Resources Engineer with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources. “Groundwater and reservoir levels have been slower to recover. It’s only the beginning of August so we expect higher temperatures and increased water demand for at least another month.”
The latest map released Aug. 6, considers data from July 28 through August 4. In that time, areas in eastern North Carolina received over 2 inches of rain, helping to ease the drought in the Coastal Plain. Parts of Rockingham, Caswell, Person, Granville, Vance and Warren counties in Central North Carolina and portions of Macon, Jackson and Transylvania counties in Western North Carolina are in extreme drought, the second worst category. More information on what the classifications mean for water systems and the public is available at ncdrought.org.
For counties in exceptional or extreme drought, water systems are advised to follow their Water Shortage Response Plans and adhere to water use reduction measures. Systems in these areas must report weekly water use and conservation status online at the Water Use Reporting website.
Residents can check with their local water supply system for information on water use restrictions such as limits on lawn watering, car washing, or other measures. Systems may also have tips for conserving water, such as washing only full loads of laundry.
Tips for Homeowners
- Check your local water system’s conservation status, and follow any conservation measures or restrictions.
- At homes with private wells, watch for the pump cycling when no water is being used or tap water that looks muddy, as these can be signs the well is running low. DEQ's Drought Indicator Wells can provide insights into local groundwater conditions.
- Limit outdoor watering to before 10 a.m. to reduce evaporation.
- Fix leaky faucets or toilets and wait until dishwashers and washing machines are full before running them to save both water and money on utility bills.
- Use dishwashers rather than washing by hand. Dishwashers are more energy- and water-efficient, and they typically don’t need dishes to be heavily pre-rinsed.
- Use a broom instead of a hose to clean sidewalks and driveways.
- Hold off on washing your car until the drought eases or visit a commercial car wash that recycles and treats its water.
About the Drought Management Advisory Council
North Carolina maintains one of the most comprehensive state level drought monitoring efforts in the United States. Each week, the DMAC, a multiagency group of drought experts from various government agencies in North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, evaluates a wide range of environmental, hydrological, and agricultural indicators to produce the state’s official drought assessment and recommendations to the U.S. Drought Monitor. DMAC is chaired by DEQ’s Division of Water Resources.
DMAC members meet weekly and submit their drought condition recommendations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center for updates to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a map of the nation’s drought conditions. DMAC’s drought map is updated weekly on Thursdays, based on conditions through the previous Tuesday. To view North Carolina’s drought map, visit www.ncdrought.org.
To learn more, visit DEQ’s drought education page.
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