SWVA remains in drought warning (copy) (copy) (copy)
Despite significant precipitation across the Commonwealth in recent days, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in coordination with the Drought Monitoring Task Force (DMTF) continued the existing drought advisory statuses for Virginia. All of Virginia is in a drought warning, with the exception of Isle of Wight County, and the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach in southeast Virginia, which remain in a drought watch.
A drought warning advisory is intended to increase awareness that the onset of a significant drought event is imminent. A drought watch advisory is intended to help Virginians prepare for a potential drought.
The DMTF considers four drought indicators in establishing drought advisories: precipitation, groundwater levels, streamflow, and reservoir levels. Recent storms greatly improved streamflow and upper soil moisture, with most localities receiving between two to four inches of rain on average. However, deeper soil moisture and groundwater remain much below normal. Of the state’s 24 groundwater monitoring wells, groundwater levels in 20 are still below the 10th percentile for this time of the year.
Long-term outlooks for groundwater levels remain a concern and will take a prolonged period of rainfall to recover.
Average statewide precipitation is approximately seven and a half inches below normal
for the water year, which began on Oct. 1, 2025. As of last Friday, there was no significant rainfall forecasted over the next 14 days. Without significant additional rainfall, the drought
could worsen as temperatures rise and rates of evapotranspiration increase.
As the hottest months of the year are approaching, DEQ and the DMTF are monitoring the situation and will provide bi-weekly updates through the duration of this drought.
Additional information on the current drought status is available on the DEQ Drought webpage and Drought Dashboard, which includes interactive data on stream gages, groundwater wells, soil moisture, and precipitation.
