South Carolina Current Drought Status
State Climate Office 803-734-9100
SPECIAL NEWS RELEASE 09-04 DNR News 803-734-3815
April 15, 2009
27 OF STATE'S COUNTIES NOW WITH NO DROUGHT STATUS
For previously issued drought statements see the archived status reports.
Table of all counties and drought status.
Drought Response Committee Meeting Sign-In sheet.
Discussion:
Minutes from the April 15, 2009 S.C. Drought Response Committee meeting (.pdf).
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources convened the S.C. Drought Response Committee on April 15 in Columbia. All areas of the state received much-needed rainfall over the past several weeks, prompting the Drought Response Committee to reduce the drought severity level state-wide. These recent much above normal rain events can be deceptive, giving the impression the drought is over; however, groundwater levels have not recharged completely in those counties where the drought was maintained.
The counties downgraded to the moderate category are Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Abbeville, Laurens, Greenwood, Union and Cherokee. The nine counties downgraded to incipient drought are Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, McCormick, Newberry, Saluda and York.
The drought declaration was removed completely from counties in the southern Midlands, along the coast and in the Pee Dee region.For more information about drought and to see a drought status by county map, visit the Office of State Climatology drought Web site.
According to DNR hydrologist Masaaki Kiuchi all 17 statewide stream flow gauges show no drought, "Lake levels around South Carolina are normal except in the Savannah River Basin which is still well below normal although recent precipitation has improved lake levels."
Darryl Jones with the S.C. Forestry Commission says fire season began as a busy one, but he is cautiously optimistic, "We received rain frequently enough in March and April to lower the number of wildfires around the state. If we continue to receive regular rainfall, we should make it through the rest of the traditional wildfire season with a moderate number of fires."
West Drought Management Area committee member Dennis Chastain of Pickens urged the public to look at the broader picture given the recent precipitation around the state, "Certainly we are much better going into spring and summer than we had anticipated, but the public needs to look below the surface and realize we are still in a ten-year drought cycle. We need a substantial improvement in rainfall to recharge groundwater to anything like normal."
Northeast Drought Management Area committee member Mike Hancock from Lugoff-Elgin Water Authority stated, "While most of the drought indices we consider show improvement, we encourage continued voluntary water conservation measures."
"The SC Department of Natural Resources will closely monitor the drought status and if rainfall is reduced the committee will promptly reconvene," said Ken Rentiers, Deputy Director, Land, Water and Conservation Division.
Contact South Carolina State Climatologist Dr.Hope 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.
Drought Status Table
| Current Drought Status by County |
|---|
| Normal |
Incipient |
Moderate |
Severe |
Extreme |
County
Status |
County
Status |
County
Status |
County
Status |
County
Status |
|---|
ABBEVILLE
Moderate |
AIKEN
Normal |
ALLENDALE
Normal |
ANDERSON
Moderate |
BAMBERG
Normal |
BARNWELL
Normal |
BEAUFORT
Normal |
BERKELEY
Normal |
CALHOUN
Normal |
CHARLESTON
Normal |
CHEROKEE
Moderate |
CHESTER
Incipient |
CHESTERFIELD
Normal |
CLARENDON
Normal |
COLLETON
Normal |
DARLINGTON
Normal |
DILLON
Normal |
DORCHESTER
Normal |
EDGEFIELD
Incipient |
FAIRFIELD
Incipient |
FLORENCE
Normal |
GEORGETOWN
Normal |
GREENVILLE
Moderate |
GREENWOOD
Moderate |
HAMPTON
Normal |
HORRY
Normal |
JASPER
Normal |
KERSHAW
Incipient |
LANCASTER
Incipient |
LAURENS
Moderate |
LEE
Normal |
LEXINGTON
Normal |
MARION
Normal |
MARLBORO
Normal |
MCCORMICK
Incipient |
NEWBERRY
Incipient |
OCONEE
Moderate |
ORANGEBURG
Normal |
PICKENS
Moderate |
RICHLAND
Normal |
SALUDA
Incipient |
SPARTANBURG
Moderate |
SUMTER
Normal |
UNION
Moderate |
WILLIAMSBURG
Normal |
YORK
Incipient |
|
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Sign-In Sheet
SC Drought Response Committee Meeting, April 15, 2009
Sign-In sheet |
|---|
| Name & Agency | Name & Agency |
|---|
Warren Harris - Drought Committee
Buddy Rivers - Drought Committee
David Baize - SCDHEC
Charles Seyton - BJWSA
Steve Hammond - Duke
Mitch Turner - SJWD
John Westcott - Drought Committee
Marion Rizer - Colleton Soil & Water District
Elbert Warren - Drought Committee
Chris Bickley - Drought Committee
Ken Rentiers - SCDNR
George Lamberty - NWS
Francis Turbolino - SCEMD
David Lodgeman - Governor's Office
Vernon Osteen - Drought Committee
Scott Willett - Anderson Regional Water
Doug Young - Chickasaw Point Property Owners Assoc
Brenda Nettles - Drought Committee
Carol Roberts - SCDHEC
Ed Bruce - Duke
|
George Gallaher - Duke
Mike Hancock - Drought Committee
Darryl Jones - SC Forestry Commission
Norman Whitaker - Drought Committee
Masaaki Kiuchi - SCDNR
Steven J. de Kozlowski - SCDNR
Jim Wilkowski - Drought Committee
David Tompkins - SC Dept. of Agriculture
Kirsten Lackstrom - University of South Carolina
Michael McShane - SCDNR Chairman
Hope Mizzell - SCDNR
Evelyn Johnson - SCDNR
Brett Witt - SCDNR
Mark Brug - Santee Riverkeeper
Andy Fairey - Drought Committee
Bill Yetman - City of Rock Hill
Stuart Ames - Drought Committee
John Shelton - USGS
Rick Walker - Rain-Catchers.net
Dennis Chastain - Drought Committee
|
Find out more about the State Climatology Office at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/ or by calling (803) 734-9100.
