By admin 
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Despite rain last week, there was very little change with the latest Drought Monitor update. Nearly 60% of the state is still in an extreme drought. However, the previous 1% of our state that was included in the Exceptional Drought (D4) has improved due to much-needed rain. No one across the state has Exceptional Drought conditions, as of the May 14 update.
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With that being said, dry weather woes continue across North Carolina. Nearly 95% of Wake County is under an extreme drought, which is the same as last week. So, while the drought hasn’t gotten worse, it also hasn’t gotten better. The same 10 counties in central North Carolina of Chatham, Orange, Durham, Person, Warren, Vance, Granville, Franklin, Nash and Halifax still have extreme drought conditions.
The worst of the drought has been focused from the mountains, toward the Piedmont and into the northern parts of central North Carolina, while more meaningful rain has accumulated across the Coastal Plain and out toward the coast. While those locations have seen more rain than areas north and west, the entire state still remains under some level of drought. For Cumberland County, nearly 30% of the county is in extreme drought, which is no change from last week.
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Since the start of the year, the Triangle has recorded 7.36″ of rain. This is the driest start to a year on record, and nearly 8″ drier than normal. If the drought were to end within one month, central North Carolina would need anywhere from 10-14″ of rain. While a few rainy days certainly helped our lawns and gardens, it was clearly not enough to put any dent in the drought.
The Climate Prediction Center has a slightly above normal chance for wetter conditions through the end of the month, but our “normal” rain totals through the end of May are 1.88″. This means we have a slightly better chance of ending up wetter than that total.
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