South Carolina on Brink of Drought

Upstate South Carolina remains under extreme drought, and unless there is some rainfall soon, experts say the rest of the state could soon also be classified as experiencing drought.

Just a week ago, only the upper west and a sliver of South Carolina’s coast were abnormally dry. But on Feb. 12, the U.S. Drought Monitor found that the rest of the state is now classified as abnormally dry.

Nine counties in northwestern South Carolina, including Greenville, Spartanburg, Pickens, Oconee, Anderson, Abbeville, Laurens, Greenwood and McCormick, are considered to be in extreme drought, according to the South Carolina State Climatology Office.

The abnormally dry conditions are the worst for the state since July.

Only five U.S. states have counties that are experiencing extreme drought: South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, California and Hawaii.