For previously issued drought statements see the archived status reports.
Table of all counties and drought status.A "moderate" drought declaration remains in effect for much of South Carolina. The S.C. Drought Response Committee met Wednesday, July 26 in Columbia to discuss drought conditions for the state. As a result, the S.C. Drought Response Committee has downgraded the drought status of two coastal South Carolina counties to "incipient," the first drought level. The remaining counties in the state are still listed as "moderate,"the second level of drought.
Based on the amount of precipitation received over the past few weeks, the drought status of Beaufort and Charleston counties were downgraded from moderate to incipient, joining nine Pee Dee counties - Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Marlboro and Williamsburg. A moderate drought declaration remains in effect for Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Berkeley, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chester, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union and York counties. A moderate drought declaration, as specified in the Drought Response Act, means that drought conditions have continued to deteriorate and are expected to persist.
Water suppliers should continue to implement their drought plans and ordinances as necessary.
Freddy Vang, deputy director of the Land, Water and Conservation Division with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said "Our responsibility in this program is to ensure that we provide information to assist water users as best we can and be vigilant in monitoring the drought."
The DNR will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed. Integrated drought information is available on the DNR's State Climatology Office Internet Web Site.
Contact Dr. Mizzell in Columbia at (803) 734-9568 or e-mail at mizzellh@dnr.sc.gov for more information.
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 Moderate |
AIKEN Moderate |
ALLENDALE Moderate |
ANDERSON Moderate |
BAMBERG Moderate |
BARNWELL Moderate |
BEAUFORT Incipient |
BERKELEY Moderate |
CALHOUN Moderate |
CHARLESTON Incipient |
CHEROKEE Moderate |
CHESTER Moderate |
CHESTERFIELD Incipient |
CLARENDON Moderate |
COLLETON Moderate |
DARLINGTON Incipient |
DILLON Incipient |
DORCHESTER Moderate |
EDGEFIELD Moderate |
FAIRFIELD Moderate |
FLORENCE Incipient |
GEORGETOWN Incipient |
GREENVILLE Moderate |
GREENWOOD Moderate |
HAMPTON Moderate |
HORRY Incipient |
JASPER Moderate |
KERSHAW Moderate |
LANCASTER Moderate |
LAURENS Moderate |
LEE Moderate |
LEXINGTON Moderate |
MARION Incipient |
MARLBORO Incipient |
MCCORMICK Moderate |
NEWBERRY Moderate |
OCONEE Moderate |
ORANGEBURG Moderate |
PICKENS Moderate |
RICHLAND Moderate |
SALUDA Moderate |
SPARTANBURG Moderate |
SUMTER Moderate |
UNION Moderate |
WILLIAMSBURG Incipient |
YORK Moderate |
SC Drought Response Committee Meeting, July 26, 2000 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.