COLUMBIA -- South Carolina's Drought Response Committee upgraded 26 counties to moderate drought status Friday.
The counties impacted in our area are Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter, and Williamsburg counties.
Also upgraded to moderate status are Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Chesterfield, Colleton, Dorchester, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, and Orangeburg.
The final two, more serious, drought phases are "severe" and "extreme."
The remaining 20 counties in the state are still in the first drought phase, incipient.
Hope Mizzell, S.C. State Climatologist stated, "The decision to upgrade was primarily driven by the dry weather impact on agriculture and increased wildlife activity. Rainfall amounts and coverage have been well below normal since May 1 for the areas upgraded combined with above normal temperature. For areas maintained at the incipient level, rainfall totals have been closer to normal. A few locations have even received much above normal rainfall since May 1, but they are isolated."
David Tompkins with the S.C. Department of Agriculture reported, "Agriculture in virtually every area of South Carolina is in need of rainfall. The lack of rain, coupled with high temperatures, is impacting crop production. Also being affected are pastures and hay production. Adequate rainfall is essential to agricultural production. Irrigation systems supplement natural rainfall, but do not make up for severe deficits. The next few weeks are critical to farmers and we are hopeful that rainfall will be adequate."
Darryl Jones with the S.C. Forestry Commission reported, "We already hit our five year average in the first two weeks for the month of June as far as wildfires. It's also been very hot and that has taken a toll on our firefighters, causing a lot of fatigue and raising safety concerns. A lot of the fires are requiring we keep personnel on scene for an extended period because it's burning in the ground and threatens to escape, so it is taking a lot of effort to fully mop them up. We're also getting reports of survival problems with seedlings planted this past winter and we would expect that to increase if the dry conditions continue."
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control says most water systems are reporting adequate storage at this time.
The Drought Response Committee says the purpose of the moderate declaration is to increase awareness that drought conditions are intensifying. Water systems are asked to review their Drought Response Plans and Ordinances and implement as needed. Members of the committee also hope the public will be cautious with any outdoor burning.
