Portions of the southern Piedmont and the Carolina foothills are now in a severe drought, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. The center uses a five-level rating system to rate dry weather, with severe drought falling midway in the scale. Extreme drought and exceptional drought are the two driest classifications.

While such ratings may be useful in measuring misery, they don’t answer the important question: When are we going to get some rain — serious, soaking, river-filling rain?

Unfortunately, not very soon, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its longterm drought forecast says the southeast’s dry spell won’t be history until winter. Meantime, crop losses are likely to worsen, wildfires will increase and water shortages will spread.