CHARLOTTE — The Carolinas continue to see improvements to the drought monitor with the latest update on Thursday.
Parts of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Lincoln, Iredell, Rowan, York, Chester, and Lancaster counties have all seen improvements from Moderate Drought to Abnormally Dry status with this week’s update. Improvements were also noted in the mountains, which are now in Moderate Drought status. Severe Drought status still remains through parts of Union, Stanly, and Anson counties.
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The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council says that heavy rain through the end of July and early August was the biggest factor in the improvements in this drought update.
These heavy rains have helped area lakes rise closer to normal levels. The council mentioned that Lake Norman saw water levels rise 1.5 feet over the past 2 weeks in their weekly update.
Recent rains have even allowed some areas to reduce their water conservation efforts. In Union County, the City of Monroe recently dropped from Stage 2 to Stage 1 water conservation as Lake Twitty has reached full pool and Lake Lee is close to full pool as well.
While storm chances will become more hit-or-miss over the next week, the overall pattern for our region is to continue to see rain chances through the extended forecast. Historically, August is our rainiest month in Charlotte.
The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting our region to continue making strides in reducing drought status and even eliminating drought conditions as we transition from summer to fall.