With only a mere 0.17” of rain this past week, York County, South Carolina stubbornly remains in a “Moderately Dry” condition. The U.S. Drought Monitor concurs with a D1-Moderate Drought Intensity. Locally, the overall lack of rain forced me to water the lawn this week, and my flowers, herbs, and vegetables require daily watering to prevent heat wilt. The trees are dropping leaves, a sign of stress. Statistically, area lakes are still 3-5 feet below normal pool. Month- and year-to-date rainfall is below normal by 1.31” and 5.19” respectively, and down 5.70” compared to last year.