York, Chester counties upgraded to ‘moderate’ drought; Lancaster to ‘incipient’

York and Chester counties have been upgraded to moderate drought status, while Lancaster County has been bumped up to incipient status, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

York and Chester join 13 other counties in moderate status after state and local experts cited low rainfall as a concern.

According to DNR state climatologist Hope Mizzell, some Upstate counties have received less than 10 percent of normal rainfall over the past two months. Those results lower streamflow and lake levels, as well as increase concern over forest fires.

Below is an interactive graph mapping out the latest rainfall information for local towns and cities, according to Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (COCORAHS):

“It is rare to see such a range of extremes with Myrtle Beach receiving over 33 inches of rain over the last 60 days,” said Mizzell, “while Easley reports only 75 one-hundredths of an inch.”

The S.C. Drought Response Committee will “closely monitor the situation,” according to chairman Ken Rentiers.

Local towns and cities in the tri-county area have seen rainfall well below the state average, according to DNR.

Oconee, Pickens and Anderson counties are all operating under severe drought status, just a step below “extreme.”

The city of Rock Hill recently asked residents to help reduce water usage with the following tips:

▪  Reduce the use of sprinklers in favor of “low-volume, drip irrigation and hand-held watering.”

▪  Water lawns no more than two days a week.

▪  Go to car washes that use recycled water instead of washing cars at home.

▪  Reduce washing of “hard surface areas” such as driveways or sidewalks and washing buildings for “purposes other than immediate fire protection.”

▪  Reduce flushing of gutters.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 11:59 AM with the headline "York, Chester counties upgraded to ‘moderate’ drought; Lancaster to ‘incipient’."