North Carolina

Severe drought covers a quarter of NC counties amid record-breaking heat

Published

2 years ago

July 16, 2024

Severe drought covers a quarter of NC counties amid record-breaking heat

June marks the 13th consecutive month of global record-breaking high temperatures. North Carolina has not been spared from the heat.

“We are trending toward one of our warmest years on record in North Carolina,” said Kathie Dello, N.C.’s state climatologist. “While we haven’t had 13 months of consistent records in North Carolina, we are feeling the heat — both in the daytime and the nighttime temperatures.”

Elevated temperatures have dried out many parts of the state. About a quarter of counties now have severe drought advisories. Out east, Columbus County is in extreme drought, according to the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council.

The council is a collaboration between many state and federal agencies, as well as private utilities such as Duke Energy. The group meets weekly to determine what parts of the state are experiencing a drought and determine how drought conditions are manifesting. For example, the N.C. Forest Service updates the council on how the drought worsens wildfire conditions in the state.

“[This drought has] been very quick and very extreme,” said Klaus Albertin, who chairs the council.

He described current dry conditions as “unusual.” Leading up to the drought, April was a dry month punctuated by heavy rainfall in May.

“Based on all the different indicators, the state was considered to be normal,” Albertin said. “But then June came around, and most places got maybe an inch, maybe an inch-and-a-half of rain over the entire month.”

Courtesy

Drought Management Advisory Council

A snapshot of the state’s current drought map. About a quarter of N.C. counties are currently experiencing severe drought conditions.

Lower elevations in the state should expect 4-5 inches of rain this time of year; the mountains should expect nearly double that amount. The onset of the drought happened rapidly after the May rains.

“Another week went by, sometimes we just didn’t get any rainfall. Sometimes stations got maybe a quarter of an inch when typically they would get an inch each week. It’s been very quick and very extreme,” Albertin said.

The council reviews historical data — going back at least 30 years — at National Weather Stations across the state to determine what is normal rainfall for a county or region.

“If the station has data back to 1895, which some do, we look at what those normals are,” Albertin said.

Fossil fuel combustion elevates global temperatures, quickening drying after rainfall. While annual average precipitation in the state has remained relatively stable, weather events are trending toward the extreme, in what Albertin described as a weather “roller coaster” effect.

“We get these real extreme dry periods followed by some real extreme rainfall,” Albertin said.

Some municipalities have already enacted voluntary water restrictions. Dello said the agricultural sector has been hit hard; North Carolina farmers lost many corn crops this year.

“No matter what rain we get, we can’t turn those losses around,” Dello said.

There is hope for rain on the horizon, but even that comes with its caveats. The National Weather Service has predicted an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic this year.

“We do need some of that tropical moisture to make its way here — and hopefully not in a very destructive way,” Dello said. “Our soils are really dry. I know even the average homeowner is saying, ‘I don’t have to mow my lawn, but my garden is doing terrible.”

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North Carolina

Michael Jordan North Carolina “Sports Illustrated” cover sells for record $229k

Published

11 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Michael Jordan North Carolina “Sports Illustrated” cover sells for record 9k

A copy of Michael Jordan’s 1983 “Sports Illustrated” cover debut sold for $229,360 on Saturday night at Goldin, obliterating the previous record for a graded magazine.

Before Saturday, the previous record was the $126,000 paid for Jordan’s 1984 SI debut in a Bulls uniform entitled “A Star Is Born.”

“Sports Illustrated” magazines are very common and people kept them, but collectors narrowed the category by making rarer newsstand copies most collectible, and graded condition of those copies to narrow the most desirable down further.

Then, in July, came PSA to challenge CGC in the grading space.

The record UNC Jordan, with teammate Sam Perkins on the cover, was the only PSA 9.6. The question is, with PSA’s grading just beginning, are there others our there?

It’s possible, but that Jordan issue presents a challenge because it has a gatefold that makes it more challenging to press out defects.

The big price will likely create a group of opportunists who will now take raw subscription copies of this issue and get them graded for potential arbitrage.

But it won’t be that easy. A CGC 8.0 newsstand edition sold for $4,636 in October.

Whether the big price also creates more grading and selling of rare magazines remains to be seen, but PSA’s entrance into the space has definitely turned heads.

PSA has graded more than 50 of this particular issue, the second most commonly graded after the “Star is Born” issue.

Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country’s leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.

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North Carolina

End of 2025-26 NC ski season: Resorts announce closing dates

Published

23 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

End of 2025-26 NC ski season: Resorts announce closing dates

Warmer temperatures are bringing North Carolina’s ski season to a close, with several mountain resorts announcing closing dates. Beech Mountain will close after its annual Pond Skim on March 14, while Appalachian Ski Mountain plans to stay open through March 15 for its Meltdown Games.

Web Editor : Mark Bergin
Reporter : Eric Miller

Posted 2026-03-07T23:04:58-0500 – Updated 2026-03-07T23:04:58-0500

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North Carolina

Stein announces $40 million in recovery, mitigation grants for Western North Carolina

Published

1 day ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Stein announces million in recovery, mitigation grants for Western North Carolina

MARION, N.C. (WTVD) — Gov. Josh Stein on Friday announced more than $24 million in mitigation grants and another $16 million for volunteer rebuilding organizations during a Western North Carolina Recovery meeting in Marion.

The funding supports longterm recovery from Hurricane Helene and is intended to help communities better withstand future natural disasters.

State officials said the mitigation grants will help local governments upgrade wastewater and water infrastructure, strengthen transportation systems, relocate facilities out of flood-prone areas, expand flood warning networks and develop shovel ready recovery projects. Nonprofit groups aiding families with home repairs and reconstruction will receive the volunteer-based grants.

“Western North Carolina is coming back strong from Hurricane Helene,” Stein said, adding that recovery requires cooperation among government, private and nonprofit partners.

North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray said the grants reflect a “wholeofcommunity effort” to reduce risk and help towns rebuild stronger.

Over two dozen communities and organizations – including Conover, Hendersonville, Clyde, Marion, Black Mountain, Banner Elk and multiple county agencies – will receive funding for projects ranging from flood gauge installations to dam restoration and wastewater improvements.

WATCH | Hurricane Helene: One Year Later: WNC leans into its resilience, faith and hope

Hurricane Helene: One Year Later (1 of 26)

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