Virginia drought update: We’re still very much in one, with little relief in sight

That little bit of rain that we got earlier in the week was good for helping freshen things up a bit, but according to the Virginia DEQ, we’re still very much in a drought.

What concerns the folks at DEQ is that the drought could worsen as temperatures rise and rates of evapotranspiration increase through the summer.

Worsening conditions could cause the drought advisory to be upgraded from warning to emergency status in some localities, which could include mandatory water use restrictions.

Twenty-nine community water systems already have mandatory water conservation measures in place: in Caroline County, Fauquier County, Louisa County, Powhatan County and Shenandoah County.

Status update

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• Streamflow conditions show some improvement in the western and northern parts of the state, but longer-term average streamflows remain below normal for this time of the year.

• Soil moisture is slightly improved in shallow soils but remains much below normal in deeper soil throughout most of the state, with the driest conditions along the Blue Ridge Mountains and along the central and eastern portions of the North Carolina-Virginia border. 

• Groundwater levels in 19 of the state’s 24 monitoring wells remain below the 10th percentile for this time of the year. Long-term outlooks for groundwater levels remain a concern and will take a prolonged period of additional rainfall to recover.

• Reservoir levels across the Commonwealth were all within normal ranges, with the exception of Smith Mountain Lake, where water levels are at warning status, and the John Kerr Reservoir, where water levels are at watch status.

• Precipitation is approximately 8.5 inches below normal on average throughout the state for the water year, which began on Oct. 1, 2025.

In response to these conditions, Gov. Abigail Spanberger is encouraging Virginians to conserve water during this drought.

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.