Drought status removed from 15 counties

After a conference call yesterday, the South Carolina Drought Response Committee announced that recent rains have provided sufficient relief from the drought in 15 South Carolina counties. Rainfall has been close to normal in the Upstate. The South Carolina counties remaining in the first level of drought (incipient stage) are Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Dorchester, Edgefield, Hampton, Lexington, McCormick, Richland, and Saluda. The committee will continue to monitor the weather and will meet again next month.