Extreme drought has returned to parts of central and eastern North Carolina, and some wheat farmers are waiting for rain before planting next year’s crop. The share of the state in extreme drought rose to 8% in the U.S. Drought Monitor released Nov. 5, up from 3% a week earlier, according to WFDD’s weekly drought tracker.
The extreme drought band runs from Halifax County south through Johnston, Wayne and Greene counties, with a new patch around Hertford County. About 41% of Wake County is now in extreme drought, the tracker reported. It is the largest extreme-drought footprint in the state since July, ABC11 reported.
The Johnston County Extension office described soils as extremely dry. Winter wheat needs enough soil moisture to germinate and set roots before cold weather, so farmers who plant into dust risk a weak stand that may not survive the winter.
The Drought Designation and Rain Shortfall
Raleigh-Durham International Airport had recorded no measurable rain from Oct. 17 through the morning of Nov. 6, nearly three weeks, ABC11 reported. Rain did fall across the Triangle later that Friday, but forecasters expected totals of an inch or less and said significant relief was not expected…