Drought Information Statement for the Western Carolinas and NE Georgia
Valid December 1, 2023
Issued By: WFO Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Contact Information: joshua.palmer@noaa.gov
This product will be updated the week of December 3, 2023.  
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/gsp/drought for previous statements. 

U.S. Drought Monitor
Slight Improvement in Drought Conditions for the Western Carolinas and Northeast Georgia Following Moderate Rainfall

Drought Intensity and Extent
D3 (Extreme Drought): Expansion within the SW NC mountains.  Removal across mountainous areas near the NC/SC state line and Greenville and Chester counties in SC.

D2 (Severe Drought): Expansion within the upper Savannah River Valley.  Removal from Chester County, SC to Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties in NC.

D1 (Moderate Drought): Downgraded to D2 drought within the upper Savannah River Valley.  Upgraded to D1 from D2 across lower SC Piedmont into portions of the Charlotte metro.

Recent Change in Drought Intensity
Four Week U.S. Drought Monitor Class Change
(October 31 to November 28, 2023)

Drought Worsened: Much of Western NC and Upstate SC saw 1 class degradation since October 31.  Nearly all of northeast GA saw 1 class of degradation.  Isolated areas of Jackson and Lincoln counties in NC and Franklin, Habersham, and Stephens counties in GA saw 2 classes of degradation.

No Change: Much of the lower SC Piedmont, Charlotte metro, and the mountainous areas near the NC/SC state line saw no overall change in drought since October 31.  No overall change occurred for portions of the NC foothills and central NC mountains.
U.S. Drought Monitor 4-Week Class Change
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg

Data over the past 60 days from October 1, 2023 to December 1, 2023
Precipitation
NC Mountains: 1.5-4” of precipitation has fallen since October 1, which is 15-60% of normal.
Northeast GA: 2-4” of precipitation has fallen since October 1, which is 20-40% of normal.
Upstate SC: 1.5–4.5” of precipitation has fallen since October 1, which is 25-60% of normal.
NC Piedmont: 1.5–4” of precipitation has fallen since October 1, which is 20-60% of normal.

Summary of Impacts
Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter
Hydrologic Impacts 
The Catawba-Wateree and Keowee-Toxaway River Basins are in Stage 1 drought.
The Upper Savannah River is in Level 2 drought.

Agricultural Impacts
Topsoil moisture has improved somewhat due to recent rainfall.  This may bring enough relief to facilitate winter grain planting.  Pasture conditions have also improved modestly but remain in poor to very poor condition. Hay is being fed to livestock.

Fire Hazard Impacts
The Burn Ban previously in effect for most of western NC has been lifted.  However, the NC Forest Service is reminding the public to be “careful, ready, and responsible when burning outdoors.”
Two wildfires, each about 150 acres in size, are occurring in McDowell County, NC with less than 10% containment.

Mitigation Actions
Numerous municipalities are enacting Stage 1 Voluntary Water Restrictions.  Refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information.

USGS 28-Day Average Streamflows for the U.S. Available Here
Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts
As of November 30th, 28-day average USGS streamflows across most of the service area are below the 25th percentile of historical flows.  The upper Catawba, Broad, French Broad, Pigeon, and Toxaway-Seneca rivers are running well-below normal or lower than 90 percent of historical flows.  The Chattooga and Little Tennessee rivers are running near the lowest values on record for the calendar date.

Drought Outlook
Drought conditions will persist, but opportunities for rainfall will increase through December.
Short-Term: A strong storm system will move south of the Greenville-Spartanburg service area December 2-3.  There is medium confidence that most of the area will receive 0.35-1.50” of rainfall.  This rainfall would temporarily prevent most drought conditions from worsening.

Long-Term: The CPC Precipitation Outlook for December 2023 calls for a 40% to 50% chance of above-normal precipitation.  Historically, El Niño results in a more active storm track across the Gulf Coast and Southeast.  Above-normal precipitation would improve drought conditions through December.