Clarendon County is one of seven South Carolina counties officially classified as experiencing severe drought, with neighboring communities facing similar conditions and little rainfall expected to bring relief in the coming days.
The South Carolina Drought Response Committee's latest assessment, issued Oct. 13, placed Clarendon, Sumter, Orangeburg, Calhoun and Williamsburg counties under severe drought status. Georgetown and Bamberg counties received the same designation, while neighboring Lee County was classified as experiencing moderate drought and Florence County was listed in the incipient stage.
The designations place 43 of South Carolina's 46 counties in some stage of drought, with only Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties reporting normal conditions. Statewide, 19 counties were classified as incipient, 17 as moderate and seven as severe. None had reached the state's highest classification of extreme drought.
More recent federal data suggests conditions have intensified in portions of the state since the committee's last assessment.
The U.S. Drought Monitor, using data through Tuesday, Nov. 10, shows approximately 48.5% of South Carolina experiencing moderate drought or worse, including 25.2% in severe drought and 3.6% in extreme drought. Another 31.4% of the state is considered abnormally dry.
Unlike the state's countywide classifications, the federal Drought Monitor identifies conditions within portions of counties and uses a different system to measure drought severity. As a result, areas identified as experiencing extreme drought on the federal map do not necessarily carry that designation under the state's official drought response program.
In a weather update issued Friday, Nov. 13, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' State Climatology Office warned that drought conditions are worsening again after two cold fronts moved through the state without producing much-needed rainfall.
"Too bad that we didn't see any rain from the fronts, because we need it and the drought is getting worse again," wrote Frank Strait, severe weather liaison with the State Climatology Office.
The dry pattern is expected to continue through much of next week as high pressure settles over the region, directing storm systems south of South Carolina. Although isolated showers could develop along the coast between Tuesday and Thursday, forecasters do not expect significant rainfall.
Prolonged drought can affect agricultural operations, particularly pastures and crops dependent on rainfall, while also reducing streamflow and increasing the potential for wildfires. The severity of those impacts varies depending on local conditions and how long the drought persists.
The dry weather will also be accompanied by the season's first widespread frost and freeze this weekend. Temperatures across much of the state are expected to fall near or below freezing Saturday night into Sunday morning, likely ending the growing season in areas where it has not already concluded.
Temperatures should begin moderating by the middle of next week, with highs potentially returning to the 70s toward the end of the week. However, forecasters see little chance of significant rainfall until at least next weekend or early the following week.
The State Climatology Office indicated that a more active, wetter weather pattern could develop around that time, although meaningful drought relief remains uncertain.
