Unseasonably hot temperatures last week exacerbated drought conditions along the coast of North Carolina. Eight new eastern counties have been added to the severe drought list. Most of central North Carolina is experiencing abnormal to moderate drought conditions. State Climatologist Ryan Boyles says the drought has been worsening for a while.
Ryan Boyles: "Well we don't get into drought in one or two days or one or two weeks, it takes an extended period of dryness to move into drought and it takes an extended period of normal to above normal rainfall to move us out of drought."
The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council recommends that residents experiencing severe drought should eliminate all non-essential water use.