Drought in Greater Oconee, South Carolina

Drought conditions continued to deteriorate across western portions of Upstate South Carolina as the trend of well-below normal rainfall continued. Most locations within the drought stricken area saw less than a quarter inch of rainfall in September. The extremely dry weather combined with continued abnormally hot temperatures to produce significant impacts to agricultural interests, mainly to unirrigated corn crops and hay cutting operations. Stream flows and reservoir levels were well below normal across the area, and voluntary water restrictions remained in place in some communities.