North Carolina Weekly Crop Survey – October 11, 2026

Drought Impact Analysis From Extension Agents Across the State

Responses 37
Counties Mapped 39
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Drought Impact (County Reported)

Select a level to isolate it on the map.

Comment Signal

Worsening / crop stress intensifying
Some relief / conditions improving
Uneven rainfall / mixed conditions
Persistent drought / little change

Map of county-reported drought impact

Every county on this map is listed, grouped by impact level, at the end of this page under “View county data as a list”.

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Statewide Trends

Remnants of Tropical Storm Isaias produced heavy, localized rainfall (reports of about 2–8 inches) that relieved dryness in some counties but caused flooding in others.
Multiple counties remain in moderate to extreme drought, with repeated reports of crop stress, damage, and reduced yields in affected areas.
Cool-season pastures and forages are stressed in drought-affected counties, with reports of supplemental livestock feeding and pasture deterioration.
Farm ponds and streams are reported low in several counties, increasing concerns for water supply for irrigation and livestock.

Top Statewide Concerns

  • Severe/extreme drought pockets
  • Crop stress and yield loss
  • Low pond and subsoil moisture
  • Uneven rainfall relief
  • Delayed cover crop and small-grain establishment
  • Salt accumulation from brackish irrigation

Regional summaries

West / Mountains & Foothills

(Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Henderson, Macon)

  • Mixed conditions: heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Isaias brought 4–8 inches locally in parts of the mountains, leaving some areas very wet and causing localized flooding.
  • Other mountain counties reported moderate drought or no mapped response; recent rains helped but did not fully pull all areas out of drought (e.g., Macon remained in moderate drought).

Piedmont / Sandhills

(Anson, Caswell, Davie, Forsyth, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Person, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin)

  • Many counties reported severe to extreme drought (Anson, Montgomery, Forsyth, Person, Stokes), with multiple notes of crops doing poorly from drought stress.
  • Remnant tropical rainfall (reports around 2–5 inches in parts of the region) provided relief for some fields but did not eliminate drought impacts across the region.
  • Crop damage persists in places while some later-planted soybeans and fields benefited from the recent rains.

North & Central Coastal Plain

(Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Craven, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Johnston, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson)

  • Persistent moisture deficits in several counties (including Craven, Halifax, Warren, Wayne) are depleting subsoil moisture and lowering farm pond and stream levels.
  • Weekend rainfall was uneven—some areas received little relief while others saw enough moisture to support cover crop establishment.
  • Localized issues include the need to flush salts from brackish-irrigated soils (Bertie) and delayed small-grain and fall cover crop germination.

Southeast Coastal Plain

(Duplin, Onslow, Pender, Sampson)

  • Most counties remain in moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions, but recent rain provided needed moisture for winter cover and grain planting in places like Duplin and Sampson.
  • Some areas reported no drought (Onslow) while others were receiving rainfall from Isaias during the report (Pender).

County Comments Highlights (selected notes from impact and additional comments)

Halifax
Still very dry but crops are needing less now that everything is coming out of the field.
Person
whole county still dealing with drought; northern half is worse than southern half; yesterdays rains should help some but still overall droughty conditions for the entire county
Warren
Persistent moisture deficits are resulting in depleted subsoil moisture, diminished farm pond and stream levels, and elevated agricultural risks across the county. Consequently, local operations face delayed small-grain and fall cover crop germination, stressed cool-season pastures that force supplemental livestock feeding, and localized yield impacts on late-maturing crops.
Bertie
Soils are dry, crops are nearly harvested. Rainfall is needed to flush salts accumulated in the soil profile from brackish irrigation water.
Caswell
We are still in a rainfall deficit for the year. Most crops are being harvest or entering their dry down phase where rainfall is not as much importance. Over the weekend we received around 1 inch of rain. Overall we are still in drought conditions, but are not experiencing the effects as most cash crops are towards the end of their lifespan for harvest.
Edgecombe
Recently got rain this past weekend which can potentially help some crops still in the field or delay harvest of others (cotton, peanuts). I would still say that the environment is drier than normal but the rains are helping to equalize that. Most rains now will be uneventful for harvest and yields; the critical rains in the beginning of the growing season were missed and are what is influencing yields the most.
Surry
The region was able to receive much needed rainfall amounts from the remnants of Hurricane Isaias over this past weekend 10/10 - 10/11. Some parts of the region were able to receive rainfall amounts of anywhere from 2 - 5 inches approximately. This will greatly help bring water tables up within the region due to the vast dryness that has been going on within the region from the end of this summer into fall.

County analysis as a list

View county analysis as a list

Extreme Drought (7 counties)

  • Craven - Persistent drought / little change
  • Forsyth - Persistent drought / little change
  • Halifax - Persistent drought / little change
  • Person - Persistent drought / little change
  • Stokes - Persistent drought / little change
  • Warren - Persistent drought / little change
  • Wayne - Persistent drought / little change

Severe Drought (4 counties)

  • Anson - Persistent drought / little change
  • Bertie - Persistent drought / little change
  • Burke - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
  • Montgomery - Some relief / conditions improving

Moderate Drought (10 counties)

  • Camden - Persistent drought / little change
  • Caswell - Persistent drought / little change
  • Chowan - Persistent drought / little change
  • Davie - Persistent drought / little change
  • Duplin - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
  • Johnston - Persistent drought / little change
  • Macon - Persistent drought / little change
  • Moore - Persistent drought / little change
  • Sampson - Persistent drought / little change
  • Washington - Persistent drought / little change

Abnormally Dry (11 counties)

  • Beaufort - Persistent drought / little change
  • Edgecombe - Persistent drought / little change
  • Henderson - Persistent drought / little change
  • Hertford - Persistent drought / little change
  • Hoke - Persistent drought / little change
  • Hyde - Persistent drought / little change
  • Martin - Persistent drought / little change
  • Northampton - Persistent drought / little change
  • Pasquotank - Persistent drought / little change
  • Pender - Persistent drought / little change
  • Wilson - Persistent drought / little change

No mapped response (7 counties)

  • Avery - Persistent drought / little change
  • Caldwell - Persistent drought / little change
  • Haywood - Persistent drought / little change
  • Onslow - Persistent drought / little change
  • Perquimans - Persistent drought / little change
  • Surry - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Yadkin - Some relief / conditions improving

Note: Map reflects county-reported drought classifications from the October 11, 2026 survey. Comment signal summarizes the tone of county narrative responses. Counties without a clearly mapped report remain unshaded.