Tropical Storm Debby's rainfall lifted most of South Carolina out of drought, what to know

Following Tropical Storm Debby’s torrential downpour, most of South Carolina’s counties have been declared drought-free.

The South Carolina Drought Response Committee said 38 of the state’s 46 counties had received enough rain to lift them out of drought on Aug. 13. While the severity of drought decreased after Debby traversed the Carolinas, the counties remaining in drought are in the Upstate – primarily in the northwest corner of the state.

Which counties remain in ‘incipient’ drought status?

Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Laurens, Abbeville, Greenwood, McCormick and Edgefield counties remain in “incipient” drought status, or the lowest level of drought.

In July, the committee declared all of South Carolina’s counties in drought after minimal rainfall in June. At the time, the state faced a flash drought, meaning conditions deteriorated quickly; 15 counties were upgraded from no drought to severe drought. In July, State Climatologist Hope Mizzell told The Greenville News that such a jump was unprecedented.

SC remained in a drought until Debby’s landfall

The state remained in a drought throughout July until Debby’s landfall in early August. The storm first made landfall in North Florida early Monday and weakened before returning to the ocean and gaining power again. Debby made a second landfall on the South Carolina coast on Aug. 8 before traveling through the state and into North Carolina.

According to committee members, most of South Carolina saw five to 10 inches of rain from the storm, though some areas received far more. Moncks Corner in Berkeley County received 22 inches of rain, while Green Pond in Colleton County received 17.57 inches. Even farther inland, Rock Hill in York County received more than 11 inches of rain.

Read more: Rainfall totals from Tropical Storm Debby for South Carolina as of Friday morning, Aug. 9

South Carolina Department of Environmental Services Hydrologist Scott Harder said the overly wet conditions supported a downgrade in drought status for the northeast and southern parts of the state, along with most of central South Carolina.

“Excessive rainfall amounts in most of the state, primarily due to Tropical Storm Debby, have resulted in dramatic increases in streamflow and groundwater levels for the Coastal Plain and a significant part of the Piedmont,” Harder said in a news release from the committee.

Harder said streamflow and rainfall conditions in the western part of the Upstate had not improved as much as other parts of the state.

“Persistent below-normal flows in the upper Savannah basin have contributed to declining lake levels for Hartwell and Thurmond,” Harder said in the release.

Too much rain can also be tough on crops

Committee members from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture had previously mentioned the drought’s stress on farmers, noting that crops suffered from a lack of moisture. Excessive rainfall in Debby’s wake may have brought more moisture to the ground, but too much rain can also be tough on crops, said the department’s Agricultural Outreach Director Sam Quinney.

“Growers in the Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions are facing excess moisture issues from the heavy rains, including flooding, field and crop damage, and increased mold and disease pressure,” Quinney said in the release.

Read more about storms and drought in South Carolina:

Rain may not have come soon enough

Committee member Yvonne Kling of the Aiken Soil and Water Conservation District said the rain may not have come soon enough to give farmers the reprieve they needed.

“At the beginning of the summer, farmers were in a world of hurt due to lack of spring and early summer rainfall. The recent rains some of the state has received has pulled most of us out of drought and greatly improved the grass and hay situation, but it seems it is too late for some crops,” Kling said in the release. “It is not a question of too little too late, but too much too late for most.”

Impacts can linger for farmers for months

As previously reported by The News, even after an area is declared drought-free, impacts can linger for farmers for months.

The impact of this year’s hurricane season may not be over yet. Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30 and tends to peak in late August to mid-September.

The Drought Response Committee will meet to review the counties remaining in drought status on Sept. 4.

Sarah Swetlik covers climate change and environmental issues in South Carolina’s Upstate for The Greenville News. Reach her via email at sswetlik@gannett.com or on X at @sarahgswetlik.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: While the Upstate stayed dry, Debby left most of SC drought-free