Drought? Shenandoah Valley sees lowest amounts of rainfall in Virginia

Monique Calello, Staunton News Leader
Updated ·3 min read
Photo taken in 2002 of a dry pond, one of 13 on the Glen Echo farm near Mount Solon run by the Mohler's. The family homeplace can be seen in the background.
Photo taken in 2002 of a dry pond, one of 13 on the Glen Echo farm near Mount Solon run by the Mohler's. The family homeplace can be seen in the background.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY — If it's felt like May and June have been drier than they normally are, it's more than a feeling.

  • Much of the commonwealth is below normal historic rainfall amounts for the past 14-day period, with lowest amounts noted within the Shenandoah Valley.

  • Precipitation maps for the past 60- to 120-day period have shown continued dryness in central and northern Virginia, and on the Eastern Shore.

  • Stream flows in the affected areas are below the 25th percentile of historical normal values. Limited precipitation is forecasted for the near future in these regions, and dry conditions are expected to continue.

In response to existing conditions and the potential for a significant drought, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a drought watch advisory for two of the Drought Evaluation Regions within the commonwealth on Friday. The advisory expands the existing drought watch advisory which includes the Eastern Shore Drought Evaluation Region.

Is your lawn already yellow and brown? Is the dry weather affecting crops? If you live in Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro and have been affected by the abnormally dry weather, The News Leader would like to talk with you. Email Monique Calello at mcalello@newsleader.com.

Drought Evaluation Regions and localities include:

  • Shenandoah: Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Frederick, Page, Warren and Clarke Counties.

  • Eastern Shore: Accomack and Northampton counties. (Existing Drought Watch continued)

  • Northern Piedmont: Greene, Madison, Rappahannock, Orange, Culpeper, Louisa, Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties.

Lewis Kingston pulls a wagon of pumpkins and gourds at Middle River Farms on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, in Grottoes. Last year, the pumpkin crop, along with many others, across the nation was hit hard by drought. But the owners at the farm say a lack of rain is something they can fix, because they can water underground
Lewis Kingston pulls a wagon of pumpkins and gourds at Middle River Farms on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, in Grottoes. Last year, the pumpkin crop, along with many others, across the nation was hit hard by drought. But the owners at the farm say a lack of rain is something they can fix, because they can water underground

Prepare for an abnormally dry summer with areas of moderate drought

A drought watch advisory is intended to increase awareness of conditions and facilitate preparation for a drought when indicators in the Drought Assessment and Response Plan have been met, the release said. The interagency Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force also considered the following:

  • Soil moisture below historic values persist within the Shenandoah and Northern Piedmont evaluation regions.

  • Groundwater levels for monitoring wells have shown continued declines in some regions. Levels are currently below the 5th percentile for some sites in the Eastern Shore, York-James, Shenandoah, Roanoke and Northern Virginia drought evaluation regions.

  • Additional wells below the 25th percentile persist in the Middle James and Northern Piedmont regions.

Water conservation and drought response plans

With this advisory, DEQ is working with local governments, public water works and water users in the affected areas, and is requesting that they prepare for a drought by developing or reviewing existing water conservation and drought response plans.

Virginians are requested to help protect current water supplies by:

  • minimizing water use

  • monitor drought conditions

  • detect and repair leaks

If conditions persist and a drought is imminent, a drought warning will be issued. Water conservation and contingency plans that are already in place or have been prepared during a drought watch stage would then be implemented.

See the current drought status on the DEQ website.

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This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Drought? Shenandoah Valley sees lowest amounts of rainfall in Virginia