North Carolina Weekly Crop Survey – July 5, 2026
Drought Impact Analysis From Extension Agents Across the State
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
Large areas of the state are in extreme to exceptional drought with widespread shortfalls in rainfall and soil moisture.
Corn is widely drought-stressed across regions, with some fields reported as lost or at risk during reproductive stages.
Forages and pastures are reduced statewide; producers report hay shortages and are feeding supplemental hay to livestock.
Irrigation and water supplies are under strain—ponds, impoundments, canals, and pumps are low or stressed in multiple counties.
Tobacco fields are showing stunting and increased disease pressure in hot, dry conditions, worsening yield risk.
Top Statewide Concerns
- Yield reductions across row crops
- Forage and hay shortages
- Irrigation and water supply stress
- Uneven, spotty rainfall
- Heat‑exacerbated crop stress and disease
- Livestock water availability
Regional summaries
West / Mountains & Foothills
(Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Wilkes, Yancey)
- Many mountain and foothill counties report severe to extreme drought with forages and pastures heavily impacted and livestock producers feeding hay.
- Rain has been spotty: isolated thunderstorms supplied 1–2 inches in some areas while other locations remain dry.
- Producers are increasing irrigation where available but crop stress (corn, soybeans, vegetables) is widely reported.
Piedmont / Sandhills
(Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Guilford, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Orange, Person, Randolph, Richmond, Stokes, Surry, Wake, Yadkin)
- Several counties are in extreme or exceptional drought; planting delays, stunted grain and tobacco, and reduced yield potential are common.
- Pastures and hayfields are low; producers are supplementing with hay and relying on irrigation as water sources show stress.
- Localized intense storms delivered limited relief (some areas saw ~1–2 inches or 1–1.3 inches), but coverage was uneven and heat is worsening plant stress.
North & Central Coastal Plain
(Craven, Currituck, Franklin, Johnston, Martin, Nash, Pamlico, Washington, Wayne, Wilson)
- Coastal plain counties include exceptional and extreme drought classifications with crops under severe stress.
- Irrigation and water supplies are strained—canals, lakes, impoundments, and ponds reported low levels or stressed pumps.
- Some localized heavy rains helped pockets (up to ~3 inches in places), but coverage is inconsistent and many fields need more rainfall to finish the season.
Southeast Coastal Plain
(Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, Sampson)
- Several southeast counties report extreme drought with visible crop symptoms: wilting, leaf curl, scorch, and yield-reducing impacts.
- Water restrictions and supply concerns reported; spotty pop-up storms provided uneven relief while heavier soils held up better.
- Topsoil moisture from recent rains has depleted quickly and subsoil remains low in many areas.
County Comments Highlights (selected notes from impact and additional comments)
Alamance
Crop planting was delayed and some fields had to be replanted to obtain a good stand, leaving crops smaller than normal; pastures, hayfields, and cropland show stress and reduced quality.
Catawba
Reduced hay and forage production; farmers feeding hay to livestock; field crops drought stressed.
Chatham
Little to no rainfall this week, with 0.00–0.05 inches; pasture recovery limited and some livestock producers continuing hay supplementation due to reduced forage.
Montgomery
Extreme drought with heat; afternoon storms brought 2-3 events of 1-2 inches, providing some relief.
Sampson
Corn is suffering as it completes reproductive stages; tobacco, soybean, sweet potatoes, and peanuts look poor due to dry conditions, with some pop-up rains and heavier soils faring better.
Wake
Despite some prior rainfall, no significant rain in weeks; extreme heat increases drought stress, with sandier soils and tobacco showing wilting disease pressure and higher severity.
Caswell
We are in extreme drought with stressed water for irrigation; grain crops are stunted and tasseling, tobacco stunted with premature tops.
Cleveland
Corn and soybeans need rain; lack of rain is causing produce growers to get less yield.
Pamlico
Early corn and soybeans need rain; irrigation is used but soil moisture sensors aren’t monitored, impoundments are flooded, and water management drives yield.
Robeson
Crop stress remains across much of the county with intense heat and limited rainfall; subsoil moisture is low, topsoil moisture from last week’s rain depleted, southeast area received rain yesterday, corn looks decent in spots but stressed this week at reproductive stages, too soon to know severity.
Yadkin
Lingering drought effects remain throughout most of Yadkin County, while Surry County shows mostly normal conditions after a holiday weekend rain.
Henderson
Over the last week there have been scattered showers, but drought conditions are worsening, and all crops are under heat and drought stress.
County analysis as a list
View county analysis as a list
Exceptional Drought (2 counties)
- Alamance - Persistent drought / little change
- Craven - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
Extreme Drought (16 counties)
- Bladen - Persistent drought / little change
- Catawba - Persistent drought / little change
- Chatham - Persistent drought / little change
- Columbus - Persistent drought / little change
- Davidson - Persistent drought / little change
- Davie - Persistent drought / little change
- Iredell - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Montgomery - Persistent drought / little change
- Nash - Persistent drought / little change
- Onslow - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Orange - Persistent drought / little change
- Person - Persistent drought / little change
- Richmond - Persistent drought / little change
- Sampson - Persistent drought / little change
- Wake - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Wilkes - Persistent drought / little change
Severe Drought (22 counties)
- Brunswick - Persistent drought / little change
- Burke - Persistent drought / little change
- Caswell - Persistent drought / little change
- Cleveland - Persistent drought / little change
- Cumberland - Persistent drought / little change
- Currituck - Persistent drought / little change
- Duplin - Some relief / conditions improving
- Franklin - Some relief / conditions improving
- Gaston - Persistent drought / little change
- Guilford - Persistent drought / little change
- Hoke - Persistent drought / little change
- Johnston - Some relief / conditions improving
- Lee - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Lincoln - Persistent drought / little change
- Macon - Persistent drought / little change
- Pamlico - Persistent drought / little change
- Pender - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Randolph - Persistent drought / little change
- Robeson - Persistent drought / little change
- Stokes - Persistent drought / little change
- Washington - Some relief / conditions improving
- Wilson - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
Moderate Drought (9 counties)
- Buncombe - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Clay - Persistent drought / little change
- Haywood - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Madison - Persistent drought / little change
- Martin - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Surry - Persistent drought / little change
- Wayne - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Yadkin - Persistent drought / little change
- Yancey - Persistent drought / little change
Abnormally Dry (4 counties)
- Avery - Persistent drought / little change
- Caldwell - Persistent drought / little change
- Henderson - Persistent drought / little change
- McDowell - Persistent drought / little change
Note: Map reflects county-reported drought classifications from the July 5, 2026 survey. Comment signal summarizes the tone of county narrative responses. Counties without a clearly mapped report remain unshaded.