Ten of South Carolina’s 46 counties — higher than normal rain

The state has placed 10 of its 46 counties in the category of higher-than-normal rainfall.  The ten are coastal counties and their drought status is downgraded, the result of a conference call by the South Carolina Drought Response Committee.  Oconee, Anderson, and Pickens, along with 11 other counties, were upgraded to incipient–the first level of drought, which is followed by moderate, severe, and extreme.  Unlike other parts of the South, no water supply or water quality issues have been reported to the DNR or to DHEC.  Among the network of reporting stations, between July 3 and August 31, Seneca recorded 9.97″; Pickens, 6.73.  At Walhalla’s Hickory Hollow Farm, weather watcher Barbara Wilson measured 5.51″ during August.