North Carolina Drought Advisory
The North Carolina Drought Advisory issued by the Drought Management Advisory Council has been updated to reflect drought conditions on August 5, 2025 indicated on the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor of North Carolina.
Until further notice, the NC DMAC strongly urges the implementation of the following drought response actions - in addition to previous advisories - for all water users located in or dependent on water resources from the areas of the state experiencing the following drought conditions:
D0
- Review and be prepared to implement your Water Shortage Response Plans at the appropriate time.
- Participate, as appropriate, in regional and local coordination for the management of water resources.
- Stay informed on drought conditions and advisories at ncdrought.org.
County Drought Classification
If the US Drought Monitor of NC shows more than one drought designation in a county, the drought intensity classification for each county published by the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council is the highest drought designation that applies to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the land area of a county.
Example Impacts by USDM Category
| Category |
Examples of historically observed impacts |
| D0 |
| Lawns are brown |
| Pastures are dry; mild crop stress is noted; irrigation increases |
|
| D1 |
| Crop stress increases |
| Hay production is reduced; producers feed hay to cattle early |
| Increased signs of wildlife; trees and landscape are drought stressed |
| Streamflow is reduced; lake and reservoirs levels decline |
| Voluntary water conservation begins |
| Wildfire danger is higher than the seasonal normal |
|
| D2 |
| Dryland crop yields are low |
| Swimming areas and boat ramps begin to close |
| Voluntary and mandatory water use restrictions are implemented, people are asked to refrain from nonessential water use |
| Wildfires are difficult to extinguish |
|
| D3 |
| Aquatic wildlife is dying; fewer trout are stocked |
| Hay is scarce, producers are purchasing outside of state; nitrate levels in forage are high |
| Hydropower generation decreases |
| Landscaping and greenhouse businesses lose revenue |
| Outdoor burn bans are implemented; wildfires are widespread |
| Voluntary conservation is requested even in sufficient water level areas; mandatory restrictions become more severe and fines are given to violators; stream levels are extremely low |
|
| D4 |
| Daily life is affected for all citizens; people pray for rain; drought education seminars increase |
| Epizootic hemorrhagic disease is widespread in deer |
| Producers sell cattle; hay shortages and crop loss occur; farmers are stressed |
| Reservoirs are low; officials are counting the days of remaining water supply; well water is low; residents are hauling water |
|
