There’s still a drought concern in the Rock Hill area, even after recent rain
York, Lancaster and Chester counties aren’t back to normal yet, but area drought conditions are improving.
All three Catawba area counties are listed as having incipient drought status. It’s one spot away from normal conditions, but not as dry as moderate, severe or extreme drought. There are 17 counties statewide facing incipient drought. They stretch across both the northeastern and southwestern borders of South Carolina.
On Wednesday, the state drought response committee downgraded the drought status of 21 counties. The move came after four to eight inches of rain the past three weeks. Of the 29 counties in normal conditions statewide, 16 of them got that designation Wednesday.
Chester and Lancaster counties are among four statewide that dropped from moderate to incipient conditions. York County already was there.
A release from the drought committee member and Rock Hill deputy city manager Jimmy Bagley said recent rain helps but many creeks and tributaries remain dry due to the length of time between major rainfalls.
Agriculture, mainly early corn planting, and livestock grazing have been impacted by drought this year. The Pee Dee and lower Savannah basins have seen low rainfall totals, and some rivers there are below 20th and even 10th percentile flow rates, per the drought group.
Drought conditions have been in place since late March. Conditions fell mainly on coastal areas this spring but reached statewide in summer and fall.
“It is good news that more counties are drought-free, but we should be cautiously optimistic since the winter forecast is for below-normal rainfall,” said state climatologist Elliot Wickham.
According to the National Weather Service, as of Thursday the York, Lancaster and Chester counties area had seen up to an inch and a half of rain in the past seven days. Rock Hill saw about half and inch.
