COLUMBIA, S.C. — You would be correct if you think it's been hot and dry—as in a lack of rain, not humidity. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Response Committee (SCDRC), all 46 counties in the state are under a drought advisory.
In the latest data, SCDRC upgraded the drought levels of 12 counties from normal to incipient, 19 counties to moderate, and 15 counties to severe. The counties most affected are in the Midlands and upper Coastal regions.
State climatologist Hope Mizzell said the three-level increase for those 15 counties from normal to severe is unprecedented.
“The weather hasn’t exactly followed the rules over the last month,” Mizzell said. “We experienced a wet winter, a relatively wet spring and then June hit: The rain stopped, and the thermostat soared.”
Farmers and livestock producers face challenges as the lack of rain and high temperatures have caused early corn crops and summer grass (feed for cattle) to be lost and soybean planting delayed. According to the U.S. Farm Service in South Carolina, the 2024 cotton, soybean and peanut crops will be negatively affected if areas do not receive beneficial rain in the next few weeks.
Wildfire activity also plays a factor in the drought upgrade. According to the South Carolina Forestry Commission, between June 1 and July 7 of this year, more than 200 wildfires burned more than 1,200 acres in the state —a fire occurrence 77% higher than the state's 10-year average and an acreage loss 214% higher than the 10-year average.
The drought has also affected river levels, with the Little Pee Dee and Black rivers approaching critically low levels. Although reservoir levels have not yet been affected, Scott Harder from the S.C. Department of Environmental Services said that water levels could be impacted if the state does not receive above-normal rainfall over the next few months.
Rainfall totals for June in South Carolina were below average, rounded to one inch less than normal. Most daily recorded rainfall accumulations were less than a quarter of an inch, with only a few days of accumulations topping just over an inch. Most notable was how much warmer the state was last month. June's high temperature averaged 93.0 degrees. That was higher than the climatological month average of 89.7, and it was the hottest average high temperature for June ever recorded for Columbia.