Add rain to holiday wish lists as York County area moves into drought

Have a little space left on the old Christmas list? Consider adding rain.

The South Carolina Drought Response Committee changed its outlook Monday for 15 counties, including York and Lancaster. Almost two-thirds of the state is now in a drought watch phase.

York County had been in normal rainfall conditions since August. Lancaster County had been since June. Chester County, also in the incipient or watch phase, has been at worse than normal conditions since late 2015. The 15 counties brought into the watch phase Monday are seeing drier conditions than a few months ago.

“Rainfall in those areas has generally been less than four inches in the last 60 days,” said Hope Mizzell, state climatologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

The drought watch status generally runs through the middle of the state. Recent rain in the upper Savannah Basin actually brought Anderson and Oconee counties back into normal conditions. In the Pee Dee Basin, five counties from Chesterfield to Marion came into the drought watch.

The committee noted there weren’t major drought impacts, but there is concern with La Nina conditions. Potential is there for a dry winter, a time when rainfall often refills groundwater and surface water sources.

No parts of the state are worse off than the watch phase. Moderate, severe and extreme drought listings can follow. Some of those listings were present in South Carolina as recently as this spring.

While drought can impact areas, such as Lake Wylie, with threats to boating access and property for lakefront homes, there are more widespread concerns. A continuing drought could mean lower seedling survival rates heading into tree planting season, said Darryl Jones with the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

“If dry conditions continue, we expect to see a rise in the number of wildfires, especially on days when high winds coincide with low relative humidity,” Jones said.

The drought committee will continue to monitor conditions. A next meeting date hasn’t been announced.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Add rain to holiday wish lists as York County area moves into drought."