North Carolina Weekly Crop Survey – August 23, 2026

Drought Impact Analysis From Extension Agents Across the State

Responses 37
Counties Mapped 38
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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

Recent rains have improved conditions in many counties but rainfall was uneven and impacts persist where totals were low.
Early-planted corn statewide experienced yield losses and pollination issues while later-planted corn generally looks better after recent rain.
Pastures and hay conditions showed localized improvement after rain, but several counties reported reduced hay production or stressed forage.
Streams, rivers, and water reserves remain low in multiple counties, limiting water availability despite some recent rainfall.
Tobacco and other specialty crops are noted as affected in multiple counties where dry conditions persisted.

Top Statewide Concerns

  • Persistent severe/extreme pockets
  • Low stream and river levels
  • Poor early-corn yields and pollination loss
  • Reduced hay production
  • Uneven rainfall and poor infiltration after heavy storms
  • Low soil moisture and water reserves

Regional summaries

West / Mountains & Foothills

(Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Macon, Madison)

  • Mostly abnormally dry across the mountains and foothills, with pockets of no drought where recent rains fell.
  • Early-planted corn in places like Cleveland is showing poor yields while later-planted corn improved after recent rainfall.
  • Stream levels remain low in parts of the region and hay was cut ahead of forecasted dry days.

Piedmont / Sandhills

(Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davie, Durham, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Person, Richmond, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin)

  • Drought severity ranges from abnormally dry to extreme, with several counties (e.g., Person, Moore, Cumberland, Stokes, Iredell) reporting severe to extreme conditions.
  • Recent rains have improved conditions in many areas, but early corn suffered pollination problems and some crops will not recover.
  • Pastures and hay showed localized improvement after rain, but reduced hay production was reported in some counties.

North & Central Coastal Plain

(Beaufort, Craven, Halifax, Hertford, Johnston, Martin, Northampton, Pamlico, Wayne, Wilson)

  • Coastal plain counties range from abnormally dry to extreme, with Craven and Halifax among the worst-off.
  • Rainfall was highly variable; crops are doing well where rain fell but parts of counties remain dry and deficits persist for the year.

Southeast Coastal Plain

(Bladen, Duplin, Pender, Robeson, Sampson)

  • Most counties report moderate drought with Bladen in severe drought and ongoing crop stress across parts of the region.
  • Recent showers have helped some crops, but soil moisture, water reserves, and streams remain lower than average in multiple counties.

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

Person
The northern half of the county remains in an extreme to exceptional drought situation.
Bladen
Showers moved through last week and are helping a good portion of cotton, peanuts, and soybeans, while water reserves and soil moisture remain below average.
Moore
Rain later than needed has helped pasture and hay, but a lot of rain in a short period limits soil water infiltration.
Davie
Rainfall has been abundant; early corn had pollination issues due to drought, but later corn and soybeans are looking great.
Duplin
Streams and rivers are very low, but recent rainfall is helping support current crop activity.
Johnston
Hot, dry conditions persist with limited, hit-and-miss storms; some areas received rain last week, but we’re still running a deficit for the year.
Robeson
Dry soil conditions have stressed soybeans the most in most parts of the county; weekend rain was welcome and soybeans were already stressed prior to rain.
Cleveland
Early planted corn is being cut with poor yields due to drought; later planted corn is improving with recent rainfall and likely higher yields.
Hoke
Heavy rains have decreased drought stress, but some earlier crops haven’t time to recover before harvest; pastures have improved for fall.

County analysis as a list

View county analysis as a list

Extreme Drought (2 counties)

  • Craven - Persistent drought / little change
  • Person - Persistent drought / little change

Severe Drought (6 counties)

  • Bladen - Persistent drought / little change
  • Cumberland - Persistent drought / little change
  • Halifax - Persistent drought / little change
  • Iredell - Persistent drought / little change
  • Moore - Persistent drought / little change
  • Stokes - Some relief / conditions improving

Moderate Drought (12 counties)

  • Anson - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
  • Chatham - Persistent drought / little change
  • Davie - Persistent drought / little change
  • Duplin - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Durham - Persistent drought / little change
  • Johnston - Persistent drought / little change
  • Montgomery - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Orange - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Pender - Persistent drought / little change
  • Robeson - Persistent drought / little change
  • Sampson - Persistent drought / little change
  • Wilson - Persistent drought / little change

Abnormally Dry (13 counties)

  • Cabarrus - Persistent drought / little change
  • Caswell - Persistent drought / little change
  • Cleveland - Persistent drought / little change
  • Haywood - Persistent drought / little change
  • Henderson - Persistent drought / little change
  • Hertford - Persistent drought / little change
  • Hoke - Persistent drought / little change
  • Macon - Persistent drought / little change
  • Northampton - Persistent drought / little change
  • Pamlico - Persistent drought / little change
  • Richmond - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Surry - Persistent drought / little change
  • Yadkin - Persistent drought / little change

No mapped response (5 counties)

  • Beaufort - Persistent drought / little change
  • Gaston - Some relief / conditions improving
  • Madison - Persistent drought / little change
  • Martin - Persistent drought / little change
  • Wayne - Persistent drought / little change

Note: Map reflects county-reported drought classifications from the August 23, 2026 survey. Comment signal summarizes the tone of county narrative responses. Counties without a clearly mapped report remain unshaded.