Conditions here remain severely dry.  On Oct. 1 we were about 13+ inches below "the normal yearly average." The rain year ending Sept.2026 was roughly 17+ inches behind the average.  This is the driest we have seen here in 9 years, assuming the "drought" started in late October 2025.  Lawns are starting to yellow and leaves are changing.  We have seen several large deciduous and pine trees withering and assume will likely die.  People continue with their routines. Our water use and "no burn" restrictions are still in force.  Haw River flow is very low with some of the channel bed now exposed near shore.  Animals are out foraging and birds now empty our feeder about every 3 days.