SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — With rainfall shortages and high heat continuing to escalate, the tri-county region is now marked anywhere from severe to exceptional drought.
The U.S. Drought Monitor updated its conditions Thursday, noting out of 100 North Carolina counties, 46 are classified in extreme drought, 31 are severe and 14 counties are moderate. The scale moves from D0 abnormally dry to D4 exceptional dry.
Parts of Brunswick County are in the highest exceptional classification, such as the unincorporated Longwood area, the driest it’s been since 1973. Rainfall totals have been down in Longwood, receiving only 44% of its normal rainfall.
READ MORE: ‘Needs more teeth’: Brunswick County commissioners update water plan
There is a 23.5-inch deficit in the Wilmington region, the NC State Climate Office reports. New Hanover County is in severe to extreme drought, with the southern portion of the county experiencing the higher classification. Pender County crosses moderate, severe and extreme droughts at different areas in its square mileage.
Combined with lack of rain and excessive heat topping out in the high 90s — with “feels like” temperatures higher rounding out to 110 degrees — reservoirs around the state remain below normal, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“If a water system is asking people to cut back on non-essential water use, they should listen,” Linwood Peele, supervisor of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources Water Supply Planning Branch, said in a release. “The more people do it, the longer the water should last. This is something we have to conserve our way out of.”
Area water utilities have directed voluntary and mandatory water preservation. Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, which services New Hanover County, has asked customers to be mindful of nonessential water usage, such as irrigation systems and lawn-watering measures. The voluntary schedule includes:
- No irrigation on Mondays
- Irrigation at odd numbered addresses (e.g., 1001 Main St.) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
- Irrigation at even numbered addresses (e.g., 1002 Main St.)on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays
- Automatic spray irrigation: Between midnight and 6 a.m.
- Hose-end sprinklers: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. to 10 a.m.
Brunswick County went into a stage three conservation alert on Friday, July 10. This stage prohibits outdoor irrigation systems, use of water from hydrants except for emergency personnel, filling swimming pools and other hot tubs, washing vehicles, and more. Violations have increased fees under this stage as well.
The Drought Management Advisory Council’s drought map is updated weekly on Thursdays, based on conditions through the previous Tuesday. To view North Carolina’s drought map, visit www.ncdrought.org.
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