Source: NC DROUGHT MANAGMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL, 4/6/18

WHAT: N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council annual meeting
WHEN: 10 a.m. to noon April 12
WHERE: Gov. James G. Martin Building, North Carolina State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh

The N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council will use its annual meeting on April 12 to discuss the drought related conditions in North Carolina during the last year.

The council will discuss current conditions in North Carolina as they relate to streams, rivers, lakes, agriculture and wildfire activity, and will provide North Carolina’s short-term climate outlook. Today’s U.S. Drought map shows 28 counties in North Carolina are experiencing abnormally dry conditions. Three counties are in a moderate drought, the least severe of the four drought categories. To see the current conditions, go to www.ncdrought.org. 

This is the first in-person meeting for the council in 2018. The council is required by Session Law 2008-143 to meet at least once in each calendar year to maintain appropriate agency readiness and participation. The council is made up of experts on drought, climate, water and forest resources, geology, agriculture and water conservation.

Members of the drought council conduct a conference call each week to discuss the impact of rainfall and provide recommendations for the U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Drought Monitor uses the council’s advice to generate a map depicting areas experiencing drought, abnormally dry and normal conditions. The drought map is released every Thursday and posted to the state’s official drought website at www.ncdrought.org.

If you have questions about the meeting, please contact Klaus Albertin, chairman of the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council, at 919-707-9035, or klaus.albertin@ncdenr.gov.