The rain was helpful, but Virginia DEQ says we’re still in a drought

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is stressing that this week’s beneficial rains didn’t get us out of our drought.

The DEQ issued a report on Friday telling us that while recent storms improved streamflow and upper soil moisture, deeper soil moisture and groundwater remain much below normal.

Of the state’s 24 groundwater monitoring wells, groundwater levels in 20 are still below the 10th percentile for this time of the year.

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Drought info

• Additional information on the current drought status is available on the DEQ Drought webpage and Drought Dashboard, which includes interactive data on stream gages, groundwater wells, soil moisture, and precipitation.

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Long-term outlooks for groundwater levels remain a concern and will take a prolonged period of rainfall to recover.

Average statewide precipitation is seven and a half inches below normal
for the water year, which began on Oct. 1, 2025.

Without significant additional rainfall, the drought
could worsen as temperatures rise and rates of evapotranspiration increase.

Not that there’s anything we can do about it.

It’s either going to rain, or it’s not.

Probably would be a good idea to conserve water however you can, though there is nothing official being said about that.