No surprise here, that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is telling us today that it is continuing the existing drought advisory statuses for pretty much the entire state.
Per DEQ, all of Virginia is in a drought warning, with the exception of Isle of Wight County, and the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach, which remain in a drought watch.
Today’s update tells us that groundwater levels in 13 of the state’s 24 monitoring wells remain below the 10th percentile for this time of the year, and that long-term outlooks for groundwater levels remain a concern and will take a prolonged period of rainfall to recover.
Average statewide precipitation is approximately 7.5 inches below normal
for the water year, which began on Oct. 1.
Without prolonged periods of rainfall, the drought will worsen as temperatures rise and rates of evapotranspiration increase.
Worsening conditions could cause the drought advisory to be upgraded from warning to emergency status in some localities – which could trigger water restrictions.
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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Chris Graham
