Drought status unchanged for most SC counties

Courtesy:SCDNR

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)– The state’s Drought Response Committee says the drought statuses of most of the state’s counties will remain unchanged this fall.

Officials say Aiken, Abbeville, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chester, Cherokee, Clarendon, Colleton, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union and York counties all maintained moderate drought status.

The committee says Beaufort, Chesterfield, Darlington, Dorchester, Florence, Oconee and Pickens counties were upgraded from incipient to moderate.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, the persistent below normal rainfall conditions have caused a steady drop in streamflow, groundwater and lake levels.

A spokesperson for DNR says the committee will closely monitor the drought and reconvene in two weeks.