Drought Update

There's an update on the North Carolina drought monitor this week --
The yellow shaded areas on the drought monitor map indicate "abnormally dry" conditions which encompasses much of the eastern third of North Carolina. Abnormally dry conditions can be the precursor of a drought. Drought conditions are reported in parts of western North Carolina. The darker shading in the western most corner of the state represents a severe drought.

There are rain chances in the forecast for the next few days that may help some of the dry conditions. However, the rain will be in the form of scattered afternoon thunderstorms meaning some communities see the rain while others miss out. For an idea on what locations in the state may see the scattered thunderstorms over the next few days, take a look at these computer model forecasts from the North Carolina State Climate Office --

For late Thursday afternoon/evening:

For late Friday afternoon/evening:

For late Saturday afternoon/evening:

For more information, visit these links:

• North Carolina Drought Monitor
• State Climate Office of North Carolina
• News 14 Carolina 7-day forecast