Drought Information Statement for southeast Ohio, northeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and much of West Virginia Valid August 15, 2024 Issued By: NWS Charleston, WV Contact Information: rlx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated August 22, 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 introduced across the lower Kanawha River basin. National Weather Service Charleston, WV 1 Current Drought Conditions Latest Drought Monitor and One-Week Change Main Takeaways D3 (Extreme Drought): Improvement across eastern Randolph County. Introduced across west-central WV D2 (Severe Drought): Expanded more into the Coal Fields D1 (Moderate Drought): Expanded into Lawrence/Gallia counties D0: (Abnormally Dry): No change National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Left: U.S. Drought Monitor valid 8am EDT August 15, 2024 Right: U.S. Drought Monitor 1-week change map valid 8am EDT August 15, 2024 Latest 30-Day Rainfall and Percent of Normal Rainfall Observed Precipitation Main Takeaways Rainfall surplus across the mountains now Significant rainfall deficits continue in southeast OH, northeast KY, and WV lowlands 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 15, 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 WV lowlands and southeast OH 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 11, 2024 Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Left - USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC maps valid August 14, 2024 Right - USGS groundwater wells valid August 15, 2024 Main Takeaways Streamflow much below normal across the Ohio, Little Kanawha, Kanawha, and Guyandotte basins Now above normal flows in the Cheat basin Groundwater wells remain low across much of the WV lowlands Impacts Reductions of inflow into area reservoirs with Tygart Lake and Stonewall Jackson lake below summer pool Some residential and agricultural wells experiencing impacts Water supply 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 14, 2024 Right: USDA Crop Progress Report valid August 10, 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 OH and the lowlands of WV Crop loss reports across much of the central and northern WV lowlands Hay shortage reported throughout the central lowlands/mountains with supplemental feeding needed USDA Crop Progress and Condition Weekly Reports West Virginia Ohio Virginia Kentucky 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 central WV Crop yield losses reported in the southeast OH and central WV, particularly with hay Lack of hay has resulted in supplemental feeding Hauling of water for livestock has been reported in southeast OH and central 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 Friday through the weekend Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast valid August 15, 2024 8-14 Day Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Charleston, WV Main Takeaways Near normal temperature and 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 14, 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 9, 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 August 18, 2024 Valid July 1, 2024 - September 30, 2024