North Carolina Weekly Crop Survey – August 2, 2026

Drought Impact Analysis From Extension Agents Across the State

Responses 45
Counties Mapped 46
Download PDF (opens in a new tab)

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

Recent scattered and heavy rains have improved topsoil moisture across many counties but have not fully replenished subsoil reserves.
Corn and soybean yields are expected to be reduced in several dry counties, with dryland corn particularly impacted in parts of the southeast.
Pasture and hay production remain behind in multiple counties despite short-term rebound from recent rainfall.
Many counties report lingering crop damage from earlier seasonal drought even where surface moisture has returned.
Water tables, ponds, and some stream levels remain low in portions of the coastal plain, limiting available water supplies.

Top Statewide Concerns

  • subsoil moisture deficits
  • crop yield losses (corn, soybeans)
  • delayed planting and replanting
  • hay and pasture shortfalls
  • low water tables and pond levels
  • uneven, localized rainfall

Regional summaries

West / Mountains & Foothills

(Avery, Caldwell, Gaston, Haywood, Iredell, Jackson, Swain, Yancey)

  • Most mountain counties report Abnormally Dry conditions; recent scattered thunderstorms and weekly rains have eased dryness in many areas.
  • Iredell remains in Severe Drought with lasting crop damage despite recent rainfall.

Piedmont / Sandhills

(Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davie, Forsyth, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Person, Randolph, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, Yadkin)

  • Piedmont shows a mix from Moderate to Exceptional/Extreme drought (Anson, Stanly, Forsyth, Stokes), with recent rains improving surface moisture but not eliminating prior damage.
  • Farmers report delayed planting, replanting, and continued shortfall in hay production despite recent improvements; localized heavy rains caused flooding in parts of northern Surry and Yadkin.

North & Central Coastal Plain

(Camden, Craven, Currituck, Franklin, Halifax, Johnston, Martin, Northampton, Pamlico, Wayne, Wilson)

  • Coastal plain interior counties show improving topsoil after July rains but persistent subsoil dryness (Craven, Franklin, Pamlico noted subsoil or water-table deficits).
  • Conditions range from Abnormally Dry to Severe, with several counties reporting near-normal surface moisture while longer-term deficits remain.

Southeast Coastal Plain

(Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, Sampson)

  • Many southeast counties remain in Severe Drought (Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Robeson) with spotty storms providing limited relief.
  • Topsoil has improved in some locations, but subsoil moisture and water supplies are still low and dryland corn yields are expected to be reduced in parts of the region.

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

Anson
Recent rainfall improved soil moisture, but some crop damage from previous drought conditions remains.
Forsyth
Harvest and season are delayed by a few weeks due to later planting and replanting plants that died.
Bladen
Soil moisture improved after weekend showers, south county received rainfall; water levels low, some areas still in great need of rain.
Chatham
Rainfall this week ranged from 0.85 to 1.88 inches, with the western portion receiving less than other areas.
Robeson
Topsoil improving in the northern tip; rest is dry, with two weeks of relief from spotty showers, subsoil still low, pond/stream levels up, dryland corn yields expected low across much of the county, some areas with decent corn.
Franklin
Have had good rains in July; subsoil remains dry.
Halifax
Conditions have improved and we can hardly tell we’re in a drought; we hope continued rains keep us this way.
Hoke
Recent rains improved conditions; most plants are recovering but some still look poor, with cooler temperatures providing a small heat-break.
Yadkin
No drought conditions; Northern Surry saw 10–13 inches of rainfall with flooding, and Yadkin County received 2–5 inches over the weekend.

County analysis as a list

View county analysis as a list

Exceptional Drought (2 counties)

  • Anson - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
  • Stanly - Worsening / crop stress intensifying

Extreme Drought (2 counties)

  • Forsyth - Persistent drought / little change
  • Stokes - Persistent drought / little change

Severe Drought (13 counties)

  • Bladen - Persistent drought / little change
  • Brunswick - Persistent drought / little change
  • Chatham - Persistent drought / little change
  • Columbus - Persistent drought / little change
  • Craven - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
  • Cumberland - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Duplin - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Iredell - Persistent drought / little change
  • Montgomery - Persistent drought / little change
  • Moore - Persistent drought / little change
  • Orange - Persistent drought / little change
  • Person - Persistent drought / little change
  • Robeson - Worsening / crop stress intensifying

Moderate Drought (9 counties)

  • Cabarrus - Persistent drought / little change
  • Caswell - Persistent drought / little change
  • Davie - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Franklin - Persistent drought / little change
  • Halifax - Persistent drought / little change
  • Pender - Persistent drought / little change
  • Randolph - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
  • Union - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Wilson - Persistent drought / little change

Abnormally Dry (12 counties)

  • Caldwell - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
  • Gaston - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Haywood - Persistent drought / little change
  • Hoke - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Jackson - Persistent drought / little change
  • Johnston - Persistent drought / little change
  • Martin - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
  • Onslow - Persistent drought / little change
  • Pamlico - Persistent drought / little change
  • Sampson - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Swain - Persistent drought / little change
  • Yancey - Persistent drought / little change

No mapped response (8 counties)

  • Avery - Persistent drought / little change
  • Camden - Persistent drought / little change
  • Currituck - Persistent drought / little change
  • Northampton - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Scotland - Persistent drought / little change
  • Surry - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Wayne - Persistent drought / little change
  • Yadkin - Some relief / conditions improving

Note: Map reflects county-reported drought classifications from the August 2, 2026 survey. Comment signal summarizes the tone of county narrative responses. Counties without a clearly mapped report remain unshaded.