North Carolina Drought Spreads Further into the State

According to a North Carolina Office of the Governor press release, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley has announced that the most serious levels of drought have gone spread all the way from the western part of the state into the Piedmont area of North Carolina. This spread of the drought has left a total of 27 counties in severe or extreme drought. This conditions are considered on the third and fourth levels on a five-scale national drought system.

Governor Easley said, "The good news is that we are seeing some rain and spot showers that are typical for the summer in North Carolina...but the problem is the rainfall is so sporadic that most of the state is bone dry. Until we receive several days of consistent rainfall, residents need to conserve water."

Out of North Carolina's 100 counties, 97 counties int he state are experiencing some form of moderate, severe, or extreme drought. Governor Easley has requested that state agencies take specific water conservation steps in counties with severe or extreme drought conditions. These specific counties include Alexander, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln and Mecklenburg. This request has residents and facilities stopping all non-essential water use. All residents are encouraged to reduce their water consumption by at least 10 percent. More counties will follow this water conservation movie. These counties are Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey counties.

"You can see the drought," said North Carolina student Mark Henderson. "Plant life is suffering and a lot of the ground is becoming dry and unable to plant in. This causes problems for a lot of North Carolina's farmers."

Most of the counties in the central and coastal areas of North Carolina, 67 total, are in moderate drought. Only a total of six counties are not under any drought conditions. Carteret, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico, Tyrrell and Washington counties are considered abnormally dry by state and county officials.