Drought Information Statement for southeast Ohio, northeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and much of West Virginia Valid August 9, 2024 Issued By: NWS Charleston, WV Contact Information: rlx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated August 15, 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 panhandle with some expansion of Severe Drought farther southward into the Kanawha River valley 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 more into Kanawha River valley but improved around Parkersburg D1 (Moderate Drought): Expanded into Huntington vicinity D0: (Abnormally Dry): No change National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Left: U.S. Drought Monitor valid 8am EDT August 8, 2024 Right: U.S. Drought Monitor 1-week change map valid 8am EDT August 8, 2024 Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: [State each county or region within WFO region where a class degradation occurred. If nowhere is under a class degradation, remove subheading.] No Change: [State each county or region within WFO region where no class change occurred. If nowhere is under no change, remove subheading.] Drought Improved: [State each county or region within WFO region where a class improvement occurred. If nowhere is under a class improvement, remove subheading.] National Weather Service Charleston, WV Current Drought Conditions Latest Drought Monitor One-Week Change 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 August 9, 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 normal to 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 August 5, 2024 Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Left - USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC maps valid August 8, 2024 Right - USGS groundwater wells valid August 8, 2024 Main Takeaways Streamflow much below normal across the Ohio, Little Kanawha, Kanawha, Cheat, 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 August 8, 2024 Right: USDA Crop Progress Report valid August 3, 2024 Main Takeaways Soil moisture remains below normal across the much of the area Impacts Declining levels in irritation wells/ponds have led to hauling of water for livestock across parts of southeast Ohio and the northern/central lowlands of West Virginia 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 Fire Hazard Impacts Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center. 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 Image Captions: Left: Significant Wildland Fire Potential monthly outlook valid July, 2024 Right: Area fire danger class, valid August 2, 2024 Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter 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: Rounds of showers and thunderstorms mid to late next week, primarily across southern West Virginia Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast valid August 9, 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 precipitation Impacts Some 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 August 8, 2024 Weeks 3-4 Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Charleston, WV Main Takeaways Increased probability of above normal precipitation Impacts Additional improvement in drought conditions is possible, though this will be highly dependent on spatial coverage of precipitation Image Captions: Climate Prediction Center weeks 3-4 temperature and precipitation outlook valid August 2, 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 18, 2024 Valid July 1, 2024 - September 30, 2024