3 Charlotte-area counties have the worst drought conditions in NC, map shows
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.
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.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.