Is South Carolina in a drought?
This week's U.S. Drought Monitor for South Carolina, and the category in each of its 46 counties, from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Yes, in part: 52.79% of South Carolina is in drought (D1 to D4).
84.47% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4), 21.98% in severe drought or worse (D2 to D4), 0% extreme or worse (D3 to D4) and 0% in D4 Exceptional Drought.
Next map: released Thursday 22 October 2026.
On the map valid 13 October 2026, 36 of 46 counties had some drought (D1 or worse); 9 more were abnormally dry (D0) only. D2 Severe Drought somewhere in 18.
Every county, map valid 13 October 2026
The category is the most severe one covering any part of the county; the share says how much of it. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row with that category or worse somewhere in it.
| County | Category this week | Share in it | In drought (D1–D4) | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County | D1 Moderate Drought | 29.19% | 29.19% | 8 weeks |
| Aiken County | D1 Moderate Drought | 15.1% | 15.1% | 4 weeks |
| Allendale County | D1 Moderate Drought | 51.13% | 51.13% | at least 54 weeks |
| Anderson County | D1 Moderate Drought | 65.73% | 65.73% | 43 weeks |
| Bamberg County | D2 Severe Drought | 20.13% | 100% | 40 weeks |
| Barnwell County | D1 Moderate Drought | 59.09% | 59.09% | at least 54 weeks |
| Beaufort County | D1 Moderate Drought | 23.94% | 23.94% | 48 weeks |
| Berkeley County | D1 Moderate Drought | 77.42% | 77.42% | 40 weeks |
| Calhoun County | D2 Severe Drought | 90.43% | 100% | 4 weeks |
| Charleston County | D1 Moderate Drought | 13.6% | 13.6% | 40 weeks |
| Cherokee County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 9.15% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Chester County | D1 Moderate Drought | 27.26% | 27.26% | at least 54 weeks |
| Chesterfield County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Clarendon County | D2 Severe Drought | 70.44% | 100% | 28 weeks |
| Colleton County | D2 Severe Drought | 2.21% | 94.1% | 40 weeks |
| Darlington County | D2 Severe Drought | 43.51% | 66.28% | 39 weeks |
| Dillon County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 39 weeks |
| Dorchester County | D2 Severe Drought | 2.8% | 61.96% | 39 weeks |
| Edgefield County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 4.39% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Fairfield County | D1 Moderate Drought | 39.41% | 39.41% | 5 weeks |
| Florence County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 30 weeks |
| Georgetown County | D2 Severe Drought | 43.35% | 94.87% | 36 weeks |
| Greenville County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 71.25% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Greenwood County | D1 Moderate Drought | 1% | 1% | 6 weeks |
| Hampton County | D1 Moderate Drought | 86.04% | 86.04% | at least 54 weeks |
| Horry County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 36 weeks |
| Jasper County | D1 Moderate Drought | 73.68% | 73.68% | 50 weeks |
| Kershaw County | D1 Moderate Drought | 35.23% | 35.23% | 48 weeks |
| Lancaster County | D1 Moderate Drought | 29.24% | 29.24% | 5 weeks |
| Laurens County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 29.51% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Lee County | D2 Severe Drought | 39.5% | 78.28% | 27 weeks |
| Lexington County | D2 Severe Drought | 0.99% | 75.82% | 2 weeks |
| Marion County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 35 weeks |
| Marlboro County | D2 Severe Drought | 34.33% | 47.7% | 40 weeks |
| McCormick County | D1 Moderate Drought | 57.81% | 57.81% | 7 weeks |
| Newberry County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 25.49% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Oconee County | D1 Moderate Drought | 6.15% | 6.15% | 45 weeks |
| Orangeburg County | D2 Severe Drought | 52.43% | 100% | 40 weeks |
| Pickens County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 86.57% | 0% | 48 weeks |
| Richland County | D2 Severe Drought | 34.9% | 99.56% | 2 weeks |
| Saluda County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 13.06% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Spartanburg County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 54.64% | 0% | 45 weeks |
| Sumter County | D2 Severe Drought | 93.59% | 99.98% | 28 weeks |
| Union County | None | 0% | 1 week | |
| Williamsburg County | D2 Severe Drought | 56.54% | 100% | 36 weeks |
| York County | D1 Moderate Drought | 18.1% | 18.1% | at least 54 weeks |
Natural disaster risk in South Carolina by county · Drought in every state
The categories
| Category | Name |
|---|---|
| D0 | Abnormally Dry (not drought: going into or coming out of drought) |
| D1 | Moderate Drought |
| D2 | Severe Drought |
| D3 | Extreme Drought |
| D4 | Exceptional Drought |
What each category means on the ground is described on the Drought Monitor's classification page.
How this page reads the Drought Monitor
- The figures are the U.S. Drought Monitor's own statistics (share of area in each category), read from its data service. The categories are theirs, unchanged. This site does not make its own drought assessment.
- The Drought Monitor gives each county a share in each category. A county's category here is the most severe one covering any part of it, with the share it covers. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row, newest first, on which some of the county was at that category or worse.
- A new map is released every Thursday, valid for the Tuesday before. Every figure here carries that valid date. This site reads the new week once, after the Thursday release, and keeps it.
- Counties are matched to the Drought Monitor by their five-digit FIPS code. Connecticut is shown by its nine planning regions, which replaced its eight counties in 2022; the Drought Monitor's county statistics use the same planning regions.
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, droughtmonitor.unl.edu · The official map for South Carolina · Drought Monitor data tables · drought.gov current conditions · NOAA seasonal drought outlook
Questions
Is South Carolina in a drought right now?
On the U.S. Drought Monitor valid 13 October 2026, 52.79% of South Carolina is in drought (D1 to D4) and 84.47% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4). 21.98% is in D2 Severe Drought or worse.
Which counties in South Carolina are in the worst drought?
This week the most severe category in South Carolina is D2 Severe Drought, in Bamberg County, Calhoun County, Clarendon County, Colleton County, Darlington County, Dillon County, Dorchester County, Florence County and 10 more.
How is a county's category chosen on this page?
The U.S. Drought Monitor gives the share of each county in each category. This page names the most severe category covering any part of the county, and always says how much of the county it covers.