Dry Conditions Persist in Piedmont and High Country Amid Ongoing Drought
For the residents of the Piedmont and High Country, the spring season usually brings an abundance of rain and storm activity. However, as of mid-May 2026, the region has seen significantly less rainfall than the usual 15 inches, with precipitation falling to nearly half of that amount. This has resulted in extreme drought conditions across 67 counties.
Andrew Kren, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Raleigh, attributes this dry spell to a gradual shift away from a La Niña climate pattern. “We’ve been coming out of this La Niña since the winter, which usually favors high-pressure ridging across the southeast,” Kren explained. “And that usually suppresses a lot of rainfall and storm activity from pushing as far east as it usually would.”
In the coming weeks, Kren anticipates a potential increase in rainfall as May concludes, with a 30 to 40% chance of above-average precipitation levels. Despite this, the overall outlook suggests that while there might be some relief from drought conditions over the summer, the absence of a tropical system such as El Niño could mean that the drought persists, especially considering the expected rise in temperatures.
