Drought conditions worsen in area, monitor shows
By COBY LaRUE
Staff
For the first time since October, portions of Alleghany County
are ranked in the U.S. Drought Monitor's D3 or "extreme drought"
classification. The report, which was issued on Dec. 11, shows
worsening drought conditions statewide.
Drought classifications begin at D0, or abnormally dry, and progress
to D4, exceptional drought. The U.S. Drought monitor focuses on broad
scale conditions and local conditions may vary, the report states.
The most recent report reveals that much of the region is under the
worst drought classification, D4 or "exceptional drought," including
parts of Wilkes County, Ashe County and the extreme southern tip of
Surry County.
The reason for the current drought stems back to this past summer,
which has been called the hottest summer on record in some parts of
the state, a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) stipulates. "The record heat exacerbated the
moderate drought conditions which pre-existed earlier in the springs.
By mid October, nearly 90 percent of the state was experiencing
extreme to exceptional drought conditions, the report stated.
The Dec. 11 report shows the county suffering from the worst drought
conditions since the report dated Oct. 23. At that time, nearly the
entire county was in the extreme drought classification. Heavy rains
in late October—during which time five to eight inches of rain were
reported in Alleghany—helped ease drought problems here and in much
of the state, but a dearth of rainfall since that time has continued
to erode the benefits.
In fact, the respite from the drought was fleeting. In the Oct. 30
report, the county was partially in the moderate category (D1) and
partially in the severe category (D2). The following week, the entire
county was in the moderate category, in which it remained until being
again upgraded to the extreme category in last week's report.
Specifically, on the Dec. 11 report, a swath covering about three-
fourths of the county—Piney Creek, Cranberry, Laurel Springs,
Whitehead and part of Gap Civil—is in the D3 classification, while
the northeastern third, including large portions of the Ennice, Glade
Creek and Cherry Lane areas, remains in the D2 classification.
The latest drought has been described as a historic occurrence,
reportedly the most severe drought since records have been kept—
record keeping on weather events officially began around 1895. The
current drought has surpassed earlier drought occurrences, including
a 2002 drought and a severe 1925 drought.
As of Dec. 11, around 66 percent of the state was classified in the
exceptional drought category.
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