http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

Regular rains since early December allowed the South Carolina Drought Response Committee to declare the entire state to be free of drought. At the Feb. 7 meeting, the committee lifted incipient drought declarations for the 17 remaining counties of Allendale, Barnwell, Beaufort, Chester, Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Lancaster, Laurens, Marlboro, Marion, Union and York. The Orangeburg Times and Democrat (S.C.), Feb 8, 2023 Four to eight inches of rain prompted the S.C. Drought Response Committee to evaluate conditions and improve the drought status of 21 counties. Aiken, Anderson, Abbeville, Cherokee, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lee, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, and Spartanburg were out of drought, while Chester, Lancaster, Laurens and Union counties were downgraded from moderate drought to incipient, the first level of drought. Many creeks and tributaries were dry since some areas had not received major rainfall in quite a while. Drought mainly affected agriculture, like the pollination of the early corn, as well as grazing conditions for livestock in the Upstate. Several rivers in the Pee Dee basin, like the Waccamaw and Little Pee Dee Rivers, were at or below their 20th percentile flows, while several rivers in the Savannah Basin, such as the Salkehatchie and Coosawhatchie rivers, were below their 10th percentile flows. The Orangeburg Times and Democrat (S.C.), Dec 11, 2022 The South Carolina Drought Response Committee improved the drought status of 17 counties. Chester, Union and York remain in moderate drought, while another 14 counties remained in incipient drought. Conditions will be reassessed after the passage of tropical system Nicole. Counties upgraded to incipient drought included Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell, Beaufort, Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lee, Marion, and Marlboro. Laurens and Lancaster counties were improved to moderate, the second level of drought. Chester, Union and York remained in moderate drought. The 14 counties that remained in incipient drought were Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg. All other counties are in no drought status. WACH (Columbia, S.C.), Nov 10, 2022