A-h-h-h-h, blessed rain

Ledger photo / JOE L. HUGHES II A Limestone College student makes her way through the rain Wednesday as steady showers covered the area for most of the day. The recent wet weather might have caused some residents to get reacquainted with their umbrellas but it has done little to alleviate the area's prolonged drought.

A series of showers over the past three days has dumped as much as an inch of rain on portions of the county. But National Weather Service Meteorologist Jeff Taylor said the rain wasn't enough to change the drought conditions.

"It's really not making much of an impact," he said.

The region is still 16.7 inches below the normal rainfall amount for the year.

Although more rain is expected today, skies will clear for the weekend, Taylor said.

The long-range forecast is even gloomier. Drier than normal conditions are expected for the remainder of the fall and winter, he said.

The drought has prompted the Gaffney Board of Public Works and some water districts throughout Cherokee County to issue requests for customers to practice voluntary water conservation.

Since the original request in June did little to reduce water usage, the utilities issued another request in August.

Mandatory water restrictions would be imposed here if the state raises its drought level from "moderate" to "extreme."