Drought Information Statement for southeast Ohio, northeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and much of West Virginia Valid August 29, 2024 Issued By: NWS Charleston, WV Contact Information: rlx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated September 5, 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. Exceptional Drought now affecting parts of the lower Kanawha River Hocking River basins National Weather Service Charleston, WV 1 Current Drought Conditions Latest Drought Monitor and One-Week Change Main Takeaways D4 (Exceptional Drought): Introduced across parts of the lower Kanawha River and Hocking River basins D3 (Extreme Drought): Expansion across the Coal Fields D2 (Severe Drought): Expanded into southeastern part of the state D1 (Moderate Drought): No change D0: (Abnormally Dry): No change National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Left: U.S. Drought Monitor valid 8am EDT August 29, 2024 Right: U.S. Drought Monitor 1-week change map valid 8am EDT August 29, 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 Significant rainfall deficits continue in southeast OH 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 29, 2024 National Weather Service Charleston, WV Latest 7 and 30-Day Temperature Anomaly Observed Temperature National Weather Service Charleston, WV Main Takeaways Max temperatures 3 to 5 degrees above normal over the last week and 1 to 3 degrees above normal over the last month 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 27, 2024 Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Left - USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC maps valid August 29, 2024 Right - USGS groundwater wells valid August 29, 2024 Main Takeaways Streamflow remains below to much below normal across much of the WV lowlands and southeast OH Groundwater wells remain low across much of the WV lowlands Impacts Reservoir lakes below summer pool: Tygart Lake 34.7’ below Stonewall Jackson lake 7.7’ below Burnsville Lake 2.7’ below Sutton Lake 5.8’ below Beech Fork Lake 2.4’ below 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 Sutton and Summersville dams recently performed releases to improve water quality in the Kanawha River Agricultural Impacts National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Captions: Left: CPC Calculated Soil Moisture Ranking Percentile valid August 27, 2024 Right: USDA Crop Progress Report valid August 24, 2024 USDA Crop Progress and Condition Weekly Reports West Virginia Ohio Virginia Kentucky Main Takeaways Soil moisture remains well below normal across the much of the WV lowlands and southeast OH 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 yield loss reports across much of the western/central WV and southeast OH Hay shortage reported throughout the central lowlands/mountains/southeast OH supplemental feeding needed 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 National Weather Service Charleston, WV Hydrologic Impacts 7-day average streamflows continue well below much of southeast OH and central/northern WV Several reservoir lake levels are well below summer pools in WV Sutton and Summersville dams recently performed releases to improve water quality in the Kanawha River Agricultural Impacts Low soil moisture has stunted crop growth in the WV lowlands and southeast OH Crop yield losses continue to be reported in the much of the WV lowlands Lack of hay has resulted in supplemental feeding Hauling of water for livestock continues across western/central WV and in southeast OH 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 Seven Day Precipitation Forecast National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast valid August 29, 2024 Next 7 days: Isolated to widely scattered showers/storms Friday. Front crosses Sunday with better chances for showers/storms Saturday afternoon into Sunday. No widespread significant precipitation expected Localized amounts to 2” possible in any slow moving downpour High pressure for much of next week with dry conditions returning 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 Image Captions: Climate Prediction Center 8-14 day temperature and precipitation outlook valid August 29, 2024 Main Takeaways Below normal temperatures with normal precipitation favored Impacts Deterioration of drought may temporarily slow with the lower temperatures Weeks 3-4 Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Charleston, WV Image Captions: Climate Prediction Center weeks 3-4 temperature and precipitation outlook valid August 23, 2024 Main Takeaways Increased probability of above normal temperatures Impacts Worsening drought conditions possible across many locations 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 15, 2024 Valid July 1, 2024 - September 30, 2024