South Carolina Current Drought Status

State Climate Office                 803-734-9100
NEWS RELEASE          DNR News 803-734-3815
January 15, 2009

Governor, DNR urge voluntary water conservation

S.C. Drought Response Committee Meeting, February 19, 2009

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will convene the next South Carolina Drought Response Committee meeting on February 19, 2009. The meeting be held at the South Carolina Forestry Commission Headquarters building at 5500 Broad River Road in Columbia, South Carolina.

The purpose of the drought meeting is to evaluate the early winter rain's impact on the drought status. The committee will review climatic data, streamflow and lake level data, and drought impacts.

If you have any questions, please contact Hope Mizzell at 803-734-9568 or email her at mizzellh@dnr.sc.gov.

Extreme Drought Continues for 9 Western South Carolina Counties.

South Carolina Drought Map for October 28, 2008

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:

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources convened the last S.C. Drought Response Committee on Oct. 28, 2008 in Columbia and nine Upstate counties still remain in extreme drought. Ten counties were maintained at severe and three remain at moderate status. Recent rains prompted the Drought Response Committee to remove the drought declaration for five counties: Beaufort, Chesterfield, Darlington, Hampton and Jasper. Eleven counties remained at no drought status.

The counties remaining in the extreme category are: Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Abbeville, Laurens, Greenwood and McCormick counties. For more information about drought and to see a drought status by county map, visit the Office of State Climatology drought Website at: www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/Drought/drought_current_info.php.

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 www.dnr.sc.gov. For more drought information contact State Climatologist Hope Mizzell in Columbia at (803) 734-9568 or e-mail MizzellH@dnr.sc.gov.

Drought Status Table

Current Drought Status by County
Normal Incipient Moderate Severe Extreme
County
Status
County
Status
County
Status
County
Status
County
Status
ABBEVILLE
Extreme
AIKEN
Moderate
ALLENDALE
Incipient
ANDERSON
Extreme
BAMBERG
Incipient
BARNWELL
Incipient
BEAUFORT
Normal
BERKELEY
Normal
CALHOUN
Incipient
CHARLESTON
Normal
CHEROKEE
Severe
CHESTER
Severe
CHESTERFIELD
Normal
CLARENDON
Incipient
COLLETON
Normal
DARLINGTON
Normal
DILLON
Normal
DORCHESTER
Normal
EDGEFIELD
Severe
FAIRFIELD
Severe
FLORENCE
Normal
GEORGETOWN
Normal
GREENVILLE
Extreme
GREENWOOD
Extreme
HAMPTON
Normal
HORRY
Normal
JASPER
Normal
KERSHAW
Severe
LANCASTER
Severe
LAURENS
Extreme
LEE
Incipient
LEXINGTON
Moderate
MARION
Normal
MARLBORO
Normal
MCCORMICK
Extreme
NEWBERRY
Severe
OCONEE
Extreme
ORANGEBURG
Incipient
PICKENS
Extreme
RICHLAND
Moderate
SALUDA
Severe
SPARTANBURG
Extreme
SUMTER
Incipient
UNION
Severe
WILLIAMSBURG
Normal
YORK
Severe


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Sign-In Sheet

SC Drought Response Committee Meeting, January 15, 2009
Sign-In sheet
Name & AgencyName & Agency
Scott Willett - Anderson Regional Water
Darrell Jones - SCFC
Doug Young - Chickasaw Point Property Owners Assoc
Francis Turbolino - EMD
George Gallegar - Duke Energy
Bill Payne - Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
Vernon Osteen - Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
John Rivers - Drought Committee
Warren Harris - Drought Committee
Joe Johnson - Drought Committee
David Baize - SCDHEC
John Westcott - Drought Committee
Chris Bickley - Drought Committee
Dean Moss - Drought Committee
Hope Mizzell - DNR
Steven J. de Kozlowski - SCDNR
Bill Taylor - Drought Committee
Jim Wilkowski - Drought Committee
David Tompkins - Dept. of Ag
Steve Hammond - Drought Committee
Mike Caston - Drought Committee
Brad Powers - Drought Committee
Dennis Chastain - Drought Committee
Sarah Ellisor - USGS
Mike Hancock - Drought Committee
Mitch Turner - SJWD
Masaaki Kiuchi - SCDNR
Leonard Vaughen - NWS
Elbert Warren - Drought Committee
Bob Frisina - Office of the Governor
Kirsten Lackstrom - University of South Carolina
Stuart Ames - Drought Committee
Athena Strickland - Pee Dee River Coalition
Marion Rizer - Colleton Soil & Water District
Stan Simpson - US Corps of Engineers
Evelyn Johnson - SCDNR
Brett Witt - SCDNR

Find out more about the State Climatology Office at https://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/ or by calling (803) 734-9100.