North Carolina Weekly Crop Survey – July 12, 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”.
Loading county boundaries…
Statewide Trends
Rainfall this week was highly variable and often patchy, providing only temporary relief to many fields.
Forage and pasture growth remain suppressed across many counties, forcing supplemental feeding in some areas.
Corn across the state is showing drought stress with reports of reduced yields and pockets of crop loss.
Water supplies are strained in some locations, with reports of wells going dry and increased hauling for livestock.
Low soil moisture is impairing herbicide performance, stand establishment, and overall crop development in multiple counties.
Top Statewide Concerns
- Reduced corn yields
- Poor pasture/forage growth
- Uneven, spotty rainfall
- Wells and water supply loss
- Livestock feeding/hay shortages
- Herbicide failures and poor stand establishment
Regional summaries
West / Mountains & Foothills
(Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Clay, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Wilkes)
- Reports range from Abnormally Dry to Severe/Extreme drought, with several counties reporting prolonged drought effects.
- Rainfall was highly variable: some areas received heavy, localized storms (2–5 inches reported in pockets) causing ponding and isolated flooding, while other areas remain dry with low stream levels.
- Pastures and forage systems continue to show long-lasting drought stress; spotty showers have slowed worsening but recovery is uneven.
Piedmont / Sandhills
(Anson, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davie, Forsyth, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Orange, Person, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Wake, Yadkin)
- Many counties report Severe to Extreme drought, and Montgomery is reported in Exceptional drought.
- Rainfall has been uneven and often only wets the surface, leaving inadequate root-zone moisture—producers report herbicide failures and stressed crops.
- Pastures and corn are stressed across the region; recent small rains provided limited relief but deficits remain.
North & Central Coastal Plain
(Craven, Currituck, Hyde, Johnston, Martin, Pamlico, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson)
- Conditions range from Abnormally Dry to Exceptional drought, with Craven and Warren reporting Exceptional/Extreme conditions and Johnston noting below-normal seasonal rainfall.
- Scattered showers have given temporary relief in places, but totals are spotty and have not replenished soil moisture broadly.
- Some counties report improved corn and soybean appearance after weekend rains, yet overall moisture deficits persist.
Southeast Coastal Plain
(Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, Sampson)
- Multiple counties report Exceptional or Extreme drought (Brunswick Exceptional; Duplin, Onslow, Sampson Extreme), with reports of significant crop stress and reduced fruiting.
- Recent thunderstorms produced heavy, localized rainfall in parts of the region (Sampson reported about 2.09 inches from one storm and about 3.75 inches for the week), providing relief to some areas.
- Producers warn that without follow-up rain gains will be reversed; livestock forage shortages and stunting of crops are reported.
County Comments Highlights (selected notes from impact and additional comments)
Brunswick
Stunting and fruit production are slowing significantly due to water shortages.
Montgomery
Exceptional drought remains widespread; 2-4 inches of rain helped, but wells are going dry in Star NC and livestock managers seek hay.
Chatham
Rainfall was highly variable (0.65–1.42 inches; some little to no rainfall); pasture and forage uneven, corn and soybean drought stress and reduced yield potential.
Davie
Most of the county received around an inch of rain yesterday, much needed as a good bit of corn is tasseling.
Caswell
Drought remains despite scattered rain: early corn yields low, later corn may be average; soybeans have poorer germination and stunted plants; tobacco is behind in growth with frost harvest pressure in October.
Johnston
Several areas are receiving much-needed rainfall, but for the year rainfall remains below normal for the area.
Macon
Most of the county received 2–5" of rain over the past week with ponding in low areas due to hard, fast rainfall from thunderstorms; stream levels remain low and some areas are hit regularly while others see nothing.
Robeson
Crop conditions showed stress Wednesday–Friday; Friday and Sunday rains helped topsoil moisture, but drought persists with negative impacts expected on dry land corn.
Lee
Recent rains should improve pastures and crops around the county.
Pamlico
Some areas have had rain, others not so much; some areas are flooded, and we are starting to get showers.
Yadkin
Pastures and crops show drought stress, with patches of light rainfall 7/8–7/12 and expected heavy rain today; stress more visible in Yadkin than Surry.
Martin
Getting some rain, but still spotty showers and amounts; we still need more rain.
County analysis as a list
View county analysis as a list
Exceptional Drought (3 counties)
- Brunswick - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Craven - Persistent drought / little change
- Montgomery - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
Extreme Drought (10 counties)
- Chatham - Persistent drought / little change
- Davie - Persistent drought / little change
- Duplin - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
- Iredell - Persistent drought / little change
- Onslow - Persistent drought / little change
- Orange - Persistent drought / little change
- Person - Persistent drought / little change
- Sampson - Persistent drought / little change
- Warren - Persistent drought / little change
- Wilkes - Persistent drought / little change
Severe Drought (13 counties)
- Burke - Persistent drought / little change
- Caswell - Persistent drought / little change
- Columbus - Some relief / conditions improving
- Cumberland - Persistent drought / little change
- Forsyth - Persistent drought / little change
- Johnston - Persistent drought / little change
- Lincoln - Persistent drought / little change
- Macon - Persistent drought / little change
- Robeson - Persistent drought / little change
- Scotland - Persistent drought / little change
- Stokes - Persistent drought / little change
- Wake - Some relief / conditions improving
- Wilson - Persistent drought / little change
Moderate Drought (11 counties)
- Anson - Persistent drought / little change
- Gaston - Some relief / conditions improving
- Haywood - Persistent drought / little change
- Hoke - Some relief / conditions improving
- Lee - Some relief / conditions improving
- Pamlico - Some relief / conditions improving
- Pender - Some relief / conditions improving
- Stanly - Persistent drought / little change
- Surry - Persistent drought / little change
- Washington - Some relief / conditions improving
- Yadkin - Persistent drought / little change
Abnormally Dry (8 counties)
- Caldwell - Persistent drought / little change
- Clay - Some relief / conditions improving
- Currituck - Some relief / conditions improving
- Henderson - Persistent drought / little change
- Madison - Some relief / conditions improving
- Martin - Some relief / conditions improving
- McDowell - Persistent drought / little change
- Wayne - Some relief / conditions improving
No mapped response (2 counties)
- Avery - Some relief / conditions improving
- Hyde - Persistent drought / little change
Note: Map reflects county-reported drought classifications from the July 12, 2026 survey. Comment signal summarizes the tone of county narrative responses. Counties without a clearly mapped report remain unshaded.