Drought Information Statement for southeast Ohio, northeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and much of West Virginia Valid July, 25, 2024 Issued By: NWS Charleston, WV Contact Information: rlx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated July 31, 2024 Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/RLX/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Extreme Drought continues across eastern Randolph County with some expansion of Severe Drought into the Muskingum, Hocking, and Kanawha river valleys National Weather Service Charleston, WV 1 Current Drought Conditions Latest Drought Monitor and One-Week Change Main Takeaways D3 (Extreme Drought): No change D2 (Severe Drought): Expanded into Muskingum, Hocking, and Kanawha river valleys but improved across southeast WV D1 (Moderate Drought): Expanded into Clarksburg vicinity D0: (Abnormally Dry): Expanded into the Huntington vicinity National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Left: U.S. Drought Monitor valid 8am EDT July 25, 2024 Right: U.S. Drought Monitor 1-week change map valid 8am EDT July 25, 2024 Latest 30-Day Rainfall and Percent of Normal Rainfall Observed Precipitation Main Takeaways Overall, conditions continue to be dry with many areas only receiving 25 to 50 percent of normal rainfall Image Caption: Left - Precipitation Amount for Mid Atlantic Right - Percent of Normal Precipitation for Mid Atlantic Data Courtesy NWS National Water Prediction Service Data over the past 30 days ending July 25, 2024 National Weather Service Charleston, WV Latest 7 and 30-Day Temperature Anomaly Observed Temperature National Weather Service Charleston, WV Main Takeaways Temperatures continue to run above normal with the highest anomalies observed across the mountains Image Captions: Left - 7-Day Departure from Normal Temperature for Appalachia Right - 30-Day Departure from Normal Temperature for Appalachia Data Courtesy NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information Data over the past 30 days ending July 20, 2024 Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Left - USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC maps valid July 25, 2024 Right - USGS groundwater wells valid July 25, 2024 Main Takeaways Streamflow remains much below normal across the Ohio, Little Kanawha, and Tygart River basins Groundwater wells continue to drop across the mountains Impacts Reductions of inflow into area reservoirs with Tygart Lake and Stonewall Jackson lake below summer pool Recreational impacts reported at Tygart Lake Some residential and agricultural wells may be experiencing impacts Water supply may be negatively affected for communities that depend on water from nearby creeks and rivers. Water quality may become adversely impacted as well Agricultural Impacts National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Captions: Left: CPC Calculated Soil Moisture Ranking Percentile valid July 24, 2024 Right: USDA Crop Progress Report, valid July, 2024 Main Takeaways Soil moisture remains below normal across the northern half of the area Impacts Declining levels in irritation wells/ponds have led to hauling of water for livestock across parts of the northern lowlands Loss of half of blueberry crop has been reported in Mason County Hay shortage reported throughout the northern lowlands/mountains with supplemental feeding needed USDA Crop Progress and Condition Weekly Reports West Virginia Ohio Virginia Kentucky Hydrologic Impacts 7-day average streamflows continue well below much of southeast OH and central/northern WV Inflow reduction resulting in below normal lake levels at Stonewall Jackson Lake and Tygart Lake Agricultural Impacts Low soil moisture has stunted crop growth in parts of southeast OH and northern WV Some crop yield losses reported in the northern WV, particularly with hay Lack of hay has resulted in supplemental feeding Hauling of water for livestock has been reported in southeast OH and northern WV Fire Hazard Impacts If dryness persists, above normal brush fire activity is possible during the second half of summer given drying vegetation and the continued potential for above normal temperatures. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. National Weather Service Charleston, WV Seven Day Precipitation Forecast National Weather Service Charleston, WV Next 7 days: Cold front sags south by Friday with scattered showers and thunderstorms shifting south as well for the weekend Shower and thunderstorm activity will increase early to middle part of next week Rainfall from thunderstorm activity may result in localized and temporary improvement of drought conditions, though it is hard to predict where this will occur. Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast valid July 25, 2024 Rapid Onset Drought Outlook Links to the latest Climate Prediction Center 8 to 14 day Temperature Outlook and Precipitation Outlook. National Weather Service Charleston, WV Main Takeaways Low ponds Potential for navigation issues in the weeks/months ahead on the big rivers (especially Mississippi) Impacts Recent dry weather has led to some lower 8-14 Day Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Charleston, WV Main Takeaways Increased probability of above normal temperatures and precipitation Impacts Some minor improvement in drought conditions is possible, though this will be highly dependent on spatial coverage and intensity of precipitation Image Captions: Climate Prediction Center 8-14 day temperature and precipitation outlook valid July 24, 2024 Weeks 3-4 Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Charleston, WV Main Takeaways Increased probability of above normal temperatures and precipitation Impacts Additional improvement in drought conditions is possible, though this will be highly dependent on spatial coverage of precipitation Continued above normal temperatures for several more weeks will cause drought to persist if rainfall only remains near normal Image Captions: Climate Prediction Center weeks 3-4 temperature and precipitation outlook valid July 19, 2024 Seasonal (3-Month) Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage National Weather Service Charleston, WV Main Takeaways Overall improvement in drought conditions is possible through the remainder of the summer months with chances for above normal precipitation in the short and long range outlooks However, even near normal rainfall combined with above normal temperatures would result in drought persistence Image Caption: Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook Released July 01, 2024 Valid July 1, 2024 - September 30, 2024