North Carolina, 2026

Drought in North Carolina, February 1 to 28, 2026

February 1 to 28, 2026 · NWS MHX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Severe (D2) drought conditions were in place across most if not all of Martin, Pitt, Greene, Lenoir, Duplin, northern Craven, and Beaufort Counties for all of February according to the US Drought Monitor.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MHX wrote it up.

Severe (D2) drought conditions were in place across most if not all of Martin, Pitt, Greene, Lenoir, Duplin, northern Craven, and Beaufort Counties for all of February according to the US Drought Monitor.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 8:35 PM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 8:35 PM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 31, 4:04 AM EST, 19 hours 56 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 31, 9:53 PM EST, 2 hours 7 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 31, 10:00 PM EST, 2 hours before
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Local storm report, Jan 31, 10:16 PM EST, 1 hour 44 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 31, 10:18 PM EST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 31, 10:19 PM EST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 31, 10:23 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Martin

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Martin forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.842, -77.107 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought conditions were noted across all of Martin County from February first through the end of the month.

Drought, Pitt

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Pitt forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.594, -77.375 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought conditions were noted across all of Pitt County from February first through the end of the month.

Drought, Greene

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.485, -77.676 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought conditions were noted across all of Greene County from February first through the end of the month.

Drought, Lenoir

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Lenoir forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.239, -77.641 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought conditions were noted across all of Lenoir County from February first through the end of the month.

Drought, Duplin

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Duplin forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
34.936, -77.933 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought conditions were initially noted across about half of Duplin County, eventually expanding to all of Duplin County by about mid February through the end of the month.

Drought, Northern Craven

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Northern Craven forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.117, -77.083 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought conditions were initially noted across about half of northern Craven County, eventually expanding to almost all of northern Craven County by about mid February through the end of the month.

Drought, Beaufort

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Beaufort forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.486, -76.845 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought conditions were initially noted across about half of Beaufort County, eventually expanding to almost all of Beaufort County by about mid February through the end of the month.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, February 2026

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1308924, 1308925, 1308927, 1308928, 1308930, 1308932, 1308934.