Drought comes back to North Carolina

Part of North Carolina has slid back into drought for the first time since the state was deemed drought-free in May after a two-year dry spell. WFAE's Lisa Miller has more: Every week climatologists, engineers, and biologists meet to decide exactly how parched North Carolina is, as part of the state's drought monitoring network. This week, they decided parts of the Triangle area are under moderate drought. Streams are lower there and many trees are looking wilted and sporting brown patches. Since July the Charlotte area has been deemed abnormally dry, one step away from drought. That's despite routine thunderstorms and flood warnings. Ryan Boyles, a state climatologist, explains. "Think of it as a drought watch," says Boyles. "Some areas have seen some locally heavy rainfall. Other areas nearby have seen very little rainfall. This is sort-of a broad brush to say this is an area we're watching to see if any impacts start to creep in." Boyles says it's not clear whether the Triangle area could recover quickly from the drought or if it will spread across the state since summer rainfall is hard to predict. But he does say forecasters are expecting a wet winter. The entire state pulled out of a more than two year drought in May. That was the worst drought in North Carolina since the state began recording drought conditions in 1895.