Late April showers bring relief, but not nearly enough.
Severe Drought Declared for All Counties

The S.C. Drought Response Committee (DRC) upgraded South Carolina's drought status from moderate to severe statewide, including all 46 counties. The DRC is the state’s major drought decision-making entity and determines drought severity as defined by the S.C. Drought Response Act to protect the state’s natural resources. The act establishes four levels of drought: incipient, moderate, severe, and extreme. For more information about the DRC and the S.C. Drought Response Program, visit scdrought.com.
The decision to move to severe drought status was unanimous when members of the S.C. Drought Response Committee met on April 30. The Committee received reports of widespread record-low streamflows, declining groundwater levels, increase in wildfire risk, and alarming reports from farmers across the State on crops and livestock.
Even when we start receiving additional rain, SCFC asks everyone to stay vigilant when conducting outdoor burning. Most wildfires in our state start because of careless outdoor burning, and wildfires can occur almost any day, regardless of our drought status.
The last time all counties in South Carolina were in at least a severe drought was September 2002. During that record drought, as of late September 2002, 36 counties were in severe drought and 10 counties in extreme drought (the highest level).
The Drought Response Committee will reconvene on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
(Shortened for content display...click below for the entire report)
________________________________________
Cheyenne Twilley
Chief of Education, Outreach, and Information
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
TwilleyC@dnr.sc.gov
260 D. Epting Lane, West Columbia, SC 29172

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