Extreme Drought Covers Nearly 55% of North Carolina. Most of the state has seen less than an inch of rain in the entire month. “You drive through parts of eastern North Carolina and you see tractors in the fields and they’re just kicking up huge clouds of dust,”

North Carolina farmers and crops are stressed. Extreme drought spans nearly 55% of the state, according to the April 30 U.S. Drought Monitor. The Southeast has some of the worst drought in the country and North Carolina is in the heart of it. The week that ended April 26, the USDA rated North Carolina topsoil moisture at 36% very short, 45% short, 19% adequate, and 0% surplus.

“Most of the state has seen less than an inch of rain in the entire month,” said Corey Davis, assistant state climatologist at the North Carolina State Climate Office. “There are places like Raleigh that up until this week, had less than half an inch of rain over the first three weeks of the month. Charlotte just came off a three-week dry spell where they didn’t get a drop of rain over that time.”