The drought warning for the Shenandoah region of Virginia has been officially lifted after more than 12 inches of rain in some areas in a 30-day period.
Heavy precipitation, notably from Tropical Storm Helene, has led to improvements in soil moisture and streamflow across Virginia.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force downgraded the Shenandoah region from a drought warning to a drought watch. The Shenandoah region includes the counties of Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Frederick, Page, Warren and Clarke.
A drought watch advisory also remains in place for the Northern Virginia region which includes the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William.
Drought advisories were also lifted for 17 localities in Virginia including:
- Big Sandy: Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and Wise counties
- New River: Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski and Wythe counties
Additional factors
- Stream flows have returned to normal levels throughout the Commonwealth with all streams within the monitoring network currently indicating normal status.
- Groundwater levels for monitoring wells in the Climate Response Network largely remain below normal and require additional precipitation events to recover over the short- and long-term period.
- While recent precipitation events have resulted in improvements, groundwater levels in eight evaluation regions remain currently below the 25th percentile with two regions recording below the 5th percentile (Shenandoah and York James)
- Storage at major water supply reservoirs have improved slightly over the past two weeks and remain within normal ranges.
Response plans
- DEQ is working with local governments, public water works, and water users in the affected areas to ensure that conservation and drought response plans and ordinances are followed.
- Virginians that are supplied water from the Potomac River should consult the for specific triggers and actions to be taken.
- All Virginians are encouraged to protect water supplies by minimizing water use, monitoring drought conditions and detecting and repairing leaks.
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Crystal Graham
