3 Charlotte-area counties have the worst drought in NC. Will Saturday rain help?
A sliver of eastern Mecklenburg County and larger areas of Cabarrus and Union counties are experiencing the worst drought conditions in the state, the U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday shows.
All of southern Cabarrus County, roughly the upper half of Union County and extreme eastern Mecklenburg County are under exceptional drought, the worst of five levels of drought on the map.
All Charlotte-area counties and most of the mountains are under extreme drought, the next worst classification. So are parts of central North Carolina and much of the northern part of the state.
The Rock Hill region and all of South Carolina are now in severe drought, after an upgrade on Thursday from the South Carolina Drought Response Committee.
From September to March, South Carolina got less than half the rain it typically does, making it the driest span between those months on the 131-year record, the South Carolina State Climatology Office announced this month. Rain has remained sparse since.
Charlotte and surrounding communities began voluntary water restrictions during the persistently dry weather this month.
Below-average rainfall since September has depleted the 11 reservoirs in the Catawba-Wateree Basin — and the streams that feed into them — to below normal levels, the local Drought Management Advisory Group said in an April 16 news release. Charlotte’s tap water supply comes primarily from Mountain Island Lake and Lake Norman, both part of the Catawba-Wateree Basin.
Charlotte forecast
Charlotte could finally see rain again on Saturday, with a quarter- to a half-inch possible, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
The chance of rain stands at 80%, mainly before 2 p.m., the forecast showed.
But will the rain make a dent in the drought? Probably not, NWS meteorologist Justin Lane said.
“There will be some very short-term benefits,” Lane said. “Every little bit of rain helps. But the longer-term benefits, it won’t make much of a difference.”
Sunny skies are expected Sunday through Tuesday, with a 50% chance of showers on Thursday, according to the NWS.
Staff Writer John Marks of The Herald contributed.
This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 11:08 AM.