SC Drought Getting Worse

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ A few hot, dry months have South Carolina teetering on the edge of a major drought. Crops are still OK in the fields, and lakes haven’t fallen to critical levels. But a few more weeks without significant rain, and things may quickly get worse. Stream flows and lake levels across the state are starting to drop in what can be some of the biggest harbingers of a major drought. About one-third of the roughly three dozen U.S. Geological Survey sites in the state that monitor how fast streams and rivers are flowing reported well below normal levels in the past few days. The state Drought Response Committee plants to meet by phone on Thursday and may increase the severity of the drought in South Carolina.