{"id":739821,"date":"2026-07-02T22:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/739821\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T22:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:58:10","slug":"drought-leaves-many-mountain-rivers-low-ahead-of-holiday-weekend-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/739821\/","title":{"rendered":"Drought leaves many mountain rivers low ahead of holiday weekend. What you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) \u2014 Scorching heat and ongoing drought conditions across western North Carolina have taken a toll on water levels in mountain creeks and rivers. As locals and visitors head outdoors for the Fourth of July weekend, one outdoor recreation group has some advice for anyone planning to get into the water.<\/p>\n

Although drought conditions have improved in recent months, data released by the U.S. Drought Monitor<\/a> Thursday, July 2, show that much of the area remains in moderate to extreme drought.<\/p>\n

CELEBRATE AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY WITH THESE LOCAL JULY 4 EVENTS<\/a><\/p>\n

The effects of the drought and current heat wave can be seen in water monitoring from the U.S. Geological Survey, which, as of July 2, reports the gage height (water height) of the French Broad River in Asheville as \u201cextremely below.\u201d The same is true for multiple locations along the Pigeon River in Haywood County and the Davidson River near Brevard.<\/p>\n

\"JULY<\/p>\n

JULY 1, 2026 – People recreating on the North Toe River in Mitchell County on July 1, 2026, with NC Outdoor Adventures. (Photos courtesy: NC Outdoor Adventures)<\/p>\n

NC Outdoor Adventures<\/a>, an outdoor guide service based in Bakersville, said it is also seeing low water levels and sweltering heat on the North Toe River, creating conditions that visitors may not have expected.<\/p>\n

NC Outdoor Adventures said anyone planning to visit the North Toe River should expect to find a few shallow areas where they will have to step out and walk to deeper water. Staff also said heat will be an issue for anyone outdoors and advised visitors to book their excursions as early in the day as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of Hurricane Helene, many of the large trees that once shaded the riverbanks are gone,\u201d staff members said in a social media post Wednesday. \u201cDuring the hottest part of the day, there are long stretches with zero shade, and the water has warmed dramatically.\u201d<\/p>\n

EXTREME HEAT BRINGS WEATHER WARN DAYS THIS WEEK, INCLUDING ON THE FOURTH OF JULY<\/a><\/p>\n

Other advice included wearing sunscreen, a hat and lightweight clothing \u2014 and bringing plenty of drinking water to stay hydrated.<\/p>\n

\"JULY<\/p>\n

JULY 1, 2026 – People recreating on the North Toe River in Mitchell County on July 1, 2026, with NC Outdoor Adventures. (Photos courtesy: NC Outdoor Adventures)<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, NC Outdoor Adventures said it remains open and offers a variety of outdoor experiences that do not depend on water levels, including swim hole tours and waterfall rappelling.<\/p>\n

Resources<\/p>\n

If you plan to get in the water over the Fourth of July weekend, here are some resources to check water levels and quality:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) \u2014 Scorching heat and ongoing drought conditions across western North Carolina have taken a toll…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":739822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-739821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=739821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/739822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=739821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=739821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=739821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}