RICHMOND, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, in coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, has issued a drought warning advisory to include 12 counties and a drought watch advisory for 95 counties and cities. All regions within the Commonwealth are affected. Precipitation deficits in combination with increased temperatures have resulted in rapid intensification of drought throughout the majority of the Commonwealth with substantial below-normal observations noted within the Northern Virginia and Shenandoah drought evaluation regions.

The drought WARNING advisory — which includes Augusta and Rockingham counties — indicates a significant drought is imminent and is in effect for the Shenandoah and Northern Virginia regions. The drought WATCH advisory — which includes the rest of us — is intended to help Virginians prepare for a potential drought.

The DEQ says stream flows throughout the Commonwealth are currently at or below the 25th percentile of normal values for all 13 drought evaluation regions. Groundwater levels for monitoring wells in the Climate Response Network have shown continued declines within the northern, central, and eastern portions of the state. Five regions are currently below the 25th percentile including the Big Sandy, Northern Coastal Plain, Northern Piedmont, Upper James, and Southeast Virginia. Levels are also currently below the 5th percentile for five drought evaluation regions including New River, Northern Virginia, Shenandoah, Roanoke, and York James. Storage at major water supply reservoirs throughout Virginia remain within normal ranges at this time.
DEQ is working with local governments, public water works, and water users in the affected areas to ensure that conservation and drought response plans and ordinances are followed. All Virginians are encouraged to protect water supplies by minimizing water use, monitoring drought conditions, and detecting and repairing leaks.

Click here for DEQ drought status information.