{"id":5478,"date":"2026-07-09T15:06:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5478"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:06:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:06:39","slug":"despite-recent-rain-north-carolinas-drought-worsens-as-extreme-conditions-expand-statewide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5478","title":{"rendered":"Despite recent rain, North Carolina\u2019s drought worsens as extreme conditions expand statewide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) \u2014 Despite several rounds of heavy rain across central North Carolina this week, the state\u2019s drought conditions worsened overall, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday.<\/p>

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The report only includes rainfall recorded through 8 a.m. Tuesday, meaning much of the rain that fell later Tuesday and Wednesday will not be reflected until next week\u2019s update.<\/p>\n

Even so, meteorologists said the latest report reinforces a growing reality: while recent storms have provided localized relief, they have not produced the widespread, sustained rainfall needed to reverse months of drought.<\/p>\n

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Across portions of the Triangle, several communities picked up multiple inches of rain this week. Since Monday, some areas of Wake County recorded more than 5 inches of rainfall, while parts of Durham and Orange counties received between 2 and 4 inches, according to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS).<\/p>\n

Despite those totals, the state\u2019s second-most severe drought classification expanded considerably.<\/p>\n

According to Thursday\u2019s report, 43.59% of North Carolina is now in a D3 (Extreme Drought), an increase of 8.19 percentage points from last week\u2019s report.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 6.2% of the state remains in a D4 (Exceptional Drought) \u2014 the most severe category on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale \u2014 down slightly from 6.6% one week ago.<\/p>\n

One of the largest week-to-week changes occurred in Cumberland County, where 78.87% of the county is now classified in extreme drought, up sharply from 42.3% last week.<\/p>\n

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The increase follows brief improvements along the Interstate 95 corridor reported one week ago after scattered rainfall. The latest report shows extreme drought has once again expanded across much of that region.<\/p>\n

There was some encouraging news in Franklin County, where exceptional drought conditions were eliminated entirely. Last week, 12.45% of the county remained in D4 drought. The latest report shows 0% in the state\u2019s highest drought category.<\/p>

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Several Triangle counties also saw significant reductions in exceptional drought coverage:<\/p>\n