State officials downgrade county's drought status from extreme to severe

While Cherokee County was drenched by rainfall Tuesday it still remains under drought conditions.

But at least the drought conditions aren't quite as bad now as they had been in recent months, a state panel of experts decided Tuesday.

The South Carolina Drought Response Committee in Columbia decided to downgrade the drought status of several counties, including Cherokee, from extreme drought to severe drought.

Nine counties in the Upstate, however, remain in extreme drought status, including: Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Abbeville, Laurens, Greenwood and McCormick.

Ten counties, including Cherokee, are now listed as being in severe drought, while another 10 counties were removed from drought status altogether.

Despite some recent rainfalls, officials on the drought response committee said drought conditions continue to weigh heavily on the agriculture industry, while wildfires in July and August were up 10 percent compared to the five-year average.

Despite the downgrades in drought status for some counties, state Climatologist Hope Mizzell warned the situation can revert.

"We are entering the driest months, climatologically, October - November, and without rainfall from tropical systems, rainfall amounts during these months can be very low," she said in a prepared statement.

Conservation efforts still are being promoted in the Upstate region. Cherokee County residents have not been subject to mandatory water restrictions, since the Gaffney Board of Public Works has been able to keep the Lake Whelchel reservoir full by drawing from the Broad River.