For previously issued drought statements see the archived status reports.
Table of all counties and drought status.Six Upstate counties (Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Abbeville, McCormick and Edgefield) will stay in severe drought and the remaining counties in moderate drought after the SC Drought Response Committee met in Columbia, March 8, to review long-term drought impacts and conditions leading into spring.
"While coverage and rainfall amounts in March have increased, there was not enough improvement in the drought indicators to support a stage upgrade," explained Ken Rentiers, Drought Committee Chairman and SCDNR Deputy Director for Land, Water, and Conservation. "The committee will reconvene in one month to reevaluate." Overall December-February's rainfall was below normal statewide with the driest conditions from the midlands to the coast.
For the climatological winter, December 1-February 29, 2012:
Hope Mizzell, SC State Climatologist, reported, "Fortunately for the many areas that were dry earlier this winter, the pattern seems to have changed over the past 3 weeks with many sites reporting 150% of normal rainfall. The opposite is true for the Upstate. Portions of the Upstate experienced wet conditions in December-January, but over the last 3 weeks rainfall totals are less than 30% of normal."
Scott Harder, Hydrologist, SC Department of Natural Resources reported, "We depend on winter rainfall to recharge our surface and groundwater supplies when evaporation rates are low. While recent rains have helped, we haven't received as much recharge as we would like at this point in the year. We have a few more weeks before residential water demand and evaporation rates will increase significantly. Depending on the rainfall pattern over these few weeks, some of the major lakes and even smaller ponds that are below normal may not refill this spring."
Marion Rizer, Southern Drought Management Area Committee Representative, stressed, "That from the agricultural perspective it really matters how much rainfall we receive from now throughout the growing season, but because of the dry winter, farmers that irrigate are concerned about water availability since many of their farm irrigation ponds are so low."
Dennis Chastain, West Drought Management Area Committee Representative, commented, "The upper portion of the Savannah River Basin received some really good rain throughout early winter, but the beneficial effects are fading and long-term trends indicate the drought will continue."
The Savannah Basin Lakes are in Drought trigger level 2 according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Drought Contingency Plan. Based on projections, lake levels will remain in trigger level 2 over the next 10 weeks. Lake Hartwell and Lake Thurmond are 6.5 feet below their target guide curves for this time of year and Lake Jocassee is 21 ft. below it's guide curve.
DNR protects and manages South Carolina's natural resources by making wise and balanced decisions for the benefit of the state's #natural resources and its people. Find out more about DNR at the DNR Web site.
Current Drought Status by County | ||||
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Normal | Incipient | Moderate | Severe | Extreme |
County Status |
County Status |
County Status |
County Status |
County Status |
ABBEVILLE Severe |
AIKEN Moderate |
ALLENDALE Moderate |
ANDERSON Severe |
BAMBERG Moderate |
BARNWELL Moderate |
BEAUFORT Moderate |
BERKELEY Moderate |
CALHOUN Moderate |
CHARLESTON Moderate |
CHEROKEE Moderate |
CHESTER Moderate |
CHESTERFIELD Moderate |
CLARENDON Moderate |
COLLETON Moderate |
DARLINGTON Moderate |
DILLON Moderate |
DORCHESTER Moderate |
EDGEFIELD Severe |
FAIRFIELD Moderate |
FLORENCE Moderate |
GEORGETOWN Moderate |
GREENVILLE Moderate |
GREENWOOD Moderate |
HAMPTON Moderate |
HORRY Moderate |
JASPER Moderate |
KERSHAW Moderate |
LANCASTER Moderate |
LAURENS Moderate |
LEE Moderate |
LEXINGTON Moderate |
MARION Moderate |
MARLBORO Moderate |
MCCORMICK Severe |
NEWBERRY Moderate |
OCONEE Severe |
ORANGEBURG Moderate |
PICKENS Severe |
RICHLAND Moderate |
SALUDA Moderate |
SPARTANBURG Moderate |
SUMTER Moderate |
UNION Moderate |
WILLIAMSBURG Moderate |
YORK Moderate |
SC Drought Response Committee Meeting, March 9, 2012 Sign-In sheet | |
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Name & Agency | Name & Agency |
Find out more about the State Climatology Office at https://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/ or by calling (803) 734-9100.