Parts of the Piedmont and eastern North and South Carolina are now in a "severe drought," raising concerns about water levels and the risk of fires like one that has burned more than a thousand acres at Pilot Mountain State Park.
The U.S. Drought Monitoron Thursday raised all or parts of more than two dozen counties in North Carolina and more than a dozen in South Carolina to the level of "severe drought" from "moderate." That includes Mecklenburg and parts of adjoining counties. "Severe drought" is the middle of five stages and a sign of the lack of rainfall. The Charlotte area has received just five inches of rain since Sept. 1, half the average for this time of year.
The Catawba River regional drought advisory group has not issued drought warnings yet. But officials are concerned, said Ben Williamson of Duke Energy, which manages lake levels along the Catawba, Yadkin and other waterways.
"We're just encouraging all of our stakeholders and the public to always think about water conservation, energy conservation. That's a huge help. And again, just really hoping that we that we get some significant rain here in the very, very near future," Williamson said Friday.
Catawba Riverkeeper Brandon Jones said he's seeing signs of the abnormally dry conditions.
"The severe drought is most noticeable in the lower water table and reduced creek flows," Jones said. "There is also an increased wildfire risk (and a few active fires), which can have negative impacts to water quality."
Because of the dry conditions, the State Climate Office says the risk of forest and brush fires is high across the western part of the state and very high in eastern North Carolina. The state and many counties have banned outdoor burning.