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A hot and dry June and July have raised the question of whether this year is shaping up as a nasty replay of last year’s drought.

The answer will come in August.

Though the Triad is still in the grip of the drought that began last year, with a reasonably normal month, the situation won’t be too bad. But another month like August 2007 could mean problems.

Last year, scorching temperatures combined with virtually no rain turned an already shaky situation dire, as reservoirs and ponds shrank or dried up. Farmers found themselves without water, while cities across the Southeast struggled to ensure their supplies would last.

Already this year, there are warning signs.

Flows in the Yadkin River are approaching the lows of the 2002 drought, and Forsyth County officials asked residents Tuesday to voluntarily conserve water.

“We’ve experienced the lowest July flows that we’ve seen over the last 10 years,” said Ron Hargrove, deputy utilities director, in a news release.

The city of Greensboro’s water supply is dropping, although it’s in better shape than it was this time last year, said Allan Williams, director of the city water resources department.

Lake Brandt is nearly a foot below normal, while Lake Townsend is more than 2 feet below normal and dropping.

So far, it hasn’t been quite as hot as last year, and residents are more conscious about using water after last year’s experience, he said.

“We don’t seem to be pumping what we were last year,” Williams said.

Still, another month like last August could change things. If that happened, the city would have to buy more water from surrounding communities. If the dry spell dragged into September, that could mean a return of the mandatory restrictions that went into effect last year, he said.

It doesn’t look like August will get off to a good start.

A high pressure ridge is expected to move in by the weekend, setting up hot and dry weather at least through the middle of next week, said Gail Hartfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“The chances of a gullywasher are not looking good for the next week or so,” she said. “A lucky couple of people might get some rain. But it’s not looking good.”

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or at jason.hardin@news-record.com