Most of North Carolina is expected to end the month of October as one of the top five driest on record for the state with some cities only registering a single hundredth of an inch of rainfall over the last 31 days.

What You Need To Know

  • Abnormally dry conditions expanded to include nearly three-quarters of the state

  • Significant rainfall in September was largely due to tropical activity, but no tropical activity impacted the state in October

  • Wildfire danger becomes more elevated with dry conditions and gusty winds

For the first time since late July, most of North Carolina is considered abnormally dry. The recent stretch of dry weather doesn't technically classify as a drought but conditions could worsen if sufficient rainfall does not occur.

On Oct. 24, only 7% of North Carolina was abnormally dry. That number is now up to 70%, and 3% of northeastern parts of the state are in a moderate drought.

According to the North Carolina Forest Service, careless backyard burning is the leading cause of wildfires in North Carolina. With outdoor burning becoming more common this time of the year as the temperatures cool, experts advise caution when burning outdoors, especially with dry conditions.

There could be some relief in the short term forecast, but the long-range seasonal outlook is suggesting likely chances for drier-than-average conditions across much of the southeast from November through January.

Expect the drought to continue to develop in the coming weeks.

Sign up for weather notifications to receive the latest weather updates, and keep up with this article for the latest details.

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.