Drought level upgraded to incipient in 15 counties.

The drought level in 15 S.C. counties has been upgraded from normal to incipient, according to a news release from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

The S.C. Drought Response Committee took the action this past Tuesday based on information from indicators including the 60-day percent of normal rainfall, the U.S. Drought Monitor and the crop moisture index. Incipient levels are followed by moderate, severe and extreme.

The counties are: Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Edgefield, Georgetown, Hampton, Jasper, Orangeburg and Williamsburg.

State climatologist Hope Mizzell said rainfall during the last 60 days has ranged from 3.5 inches in Mount Pleasant in Charleston County to more than 17 inches in Sunset in Pickens County. While most Upstate locations have received excessive rainfall since Jan. 1, including 39.53 inches in Slater-Marietta in Greenville County, some areas in the Lowcountry have received less than 10 inches, according to the release.

Columbia has received 17.36 inches of rainfall since Jan. 1.

Clay Duffie, general manager for Mount Pleasant Waterworks, told the committee via conference...