Worst Drought in 800 Years? Maybe

South Carolina may be experiencing its worst drought in 800 years, according to some tree ring data.

Photo: U.S. Drought Monitor

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South Carolina may be experiencing the worst drought the region has seen since long before anyone thought to call the place Carolina.

According to tree ring data, the drought plaguing the region is at least on par with anything experienced in the past 800 years, Ryan Boyles, North Carolina's state climatologist, told the The News & Observer.

The drought is at least the worst on record, and statistics have been kept for 113 years.

The The News & Observer, though, makes a key point. Whether or not the drought, in absolute terms, is worse than one a decade ago, or a century ago, it is likely to have a greater impact because the state's population has increased, so there is a greater demand for water. Research in Rockland County, N.Y. showed that the intensity of droughts there is increasing, even from shorter and less intense dry spells.

That scenario is likely playing out across the nation, adding yet more evidence that when planning now for future development, the availability of water should be a key consideration.

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