Due to recent rain and reduced wildfire potential, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has lifted the statewide drought watch advisory issued on Oct. 11 that included all 13 of the Drought Evaluation Regions within the commonwealth.
The determination was a consensus of the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, an interagency group representing state and federal agencies. The primary factors contributing to the lifting of the drought watch advisory are:
- Recent precipitation has reduced the rainfall deficits that existed during September and early October, improving soil moisture conditions and lessening fire potential,
- Stream flows at nearly all gaging stations have returned to normal levels, and
- Nearly all of the observation wells in the Virginia Climate Response Network have groundwater levels that are within the normal range.
Statewide information on the current drought status is available on the DEQ website at www.deq.virginia.gov.
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