COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina officials warned Wednesday that drought conditions had worsened despite soaking weekend rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry.

The official drought status was upgraded to moderate by the state Drought Response Committee. Last month the committee declared that South Carolina was in an incipient drought -- the first of four drought stages.

South Carolina hasn't been in a moderate drought since 2003, when it escaped the grips of a four-year drought. Some parts of the Savannah River basin were placed in a moderate drought for a few months last year.

The moderate drought doesn't require mandatory action by public water systems or the public, but it is a warning conditions are getting worse, state climatologist Hope Mizzell said.

Two water systems in South Carolina have placed mandatory restrictions on watering, with six water systems reporting voluntary restrictions, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Steam and river flows have declined rapidly in the past few months and farmers have also struggled with two dry months in the middle of the growing season.

"We need better than normal rainfall throughout the upcoming months," state Agriculture Department spokesman David Tompkins. "Some irrigation for farmers is already being utilized at a level normally seen in July."

The drought has increased the danger of wildfires. The state Forestry Commission said it responded to 337 wildfires that burned nearly 1,400 acres in May.

Most of the state saw a rainy weekend from Barry. Some parts of the Savannah River basin -- one of the driest areas of South Carolina -- received 5 inches of rain. Similar amounts were also seen along the coast, with the central part of the state getting an inch or two of precipitation.

The rains mostly missed the parched Upstate, where less than a quarter-inch of rain fell.

Some areas of South Carolina also saw thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday, but the weather for the rest of the week appears to be turning dry and hot, with highs in the low to mid 90s and little chance of rain.

The state was already behind in rainfall when 2007 started and conditions don't appear to be improving anytime soon, said Mike Hancock with Lugoff-Elgin Water, who also is a representative on the drought committee.

"We believe it's prudent at this time to declare a moderate drought," And, if conditions persist, we could easily deteriorate to more advanced drought conditions."

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