|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 21, 2026
|
|
DROUGHT UPDATE
Existing drought advisories continued
Richmond, Va. – Despite significant rainfall, the Drought Monitoring Task Force (DMTF) has continued the existing drought advisory statuses for Virginia.
The recent rain has prevented drought conditions from worsening, however drought continues in many parts of Virginia, especially in the Roanoke River drought evaluation region.
Drought advisory statuses were maintained as follows:
A drought emergency advisory for:
- Roanoke River: Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania, and Roanoke counties and the cities of Danville, Martinsville, Roanoke, and Salem
Drought warning advisories for:
- Chowan: Brunswick, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Lunenburg, Nottoway, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, and Sussex counties and the cities of Emporia and Franklin
- Eastern Shore: Accomack and Northampton counties
- Middle James*: Albemarle, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Nelson, Powhatan, Prince Edward counties and the cities of Charlottesville, and Lynchburg
- Northern Coastal Plain: Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King George, King William, King and Queen, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland counties
- Northern Piedmont: Culpeper, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties and the City of Fredericksburg
- Northern Virginia: Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park
- Shenandoah: Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester
- Upper James: Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Highland, and Rockbridge counties and the cities of Buena Vista, Covington, and Lexington
And drought watch advisories for:
- Big Sandy: Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and the cities of Bristol, and Norton
- New River: Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Wythe counties and the cities of Galax, and Radford
- Middle James*: Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico counties and the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond
- York-James: Charles City, James City, New Kent, York counties and the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg
- Southeast Virginia: Isle of Wight County and the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach
The DMTF considered the following information in its advisory recommendations:
- Streamflows were largely normal, with below-normal flow observed in portions of the James, Roanoke, and Shenandoah watersheds.
- Soil moisture in shallower soils shows improvement, with near-normal conditions in most areas of the state. Drier-than-normal soils persist in southern portions of the Chowan, Roanoke, and Shenandoah drought evaluation regions.
- Groundwater levels continue to be much below normal, with indicator wells in northern and south-central areas of the state at or near historic record-low water levels.
- Reservoir levels across the Commonwealth were all within normal ranges, except for Smith Mountain Lake and John Kerr Reservoir, which remain much below normal for this time of year.
- Precipitation over the past seven days was near or above normal across much of the Commonwealth. Precipitation over the past 30 days has been above normal for a majority of the state except for portions of the Chowan, Shenandoah, and Roanoke Drought Evaluation Regions. While the past several months have seen a shift toward above-normal precipitation for portions of the Commonwealth, areas around Danville, Lynchburg, and Staunton remain drier than normal.
Agricultural producers report improvement in crop conditions throughout the Commonwealth as a result of recent rain; however, the eastern portion of Franklin County and Campbell, Pittsylvania, Culpeper, Madison, and Greene counties remain dry.
In response to these conditions, Governor Spanberger is encouraging Virginians to conserve water during this drought.
The seven-day forecast calls for near-to-above-normal totals of 2 to 5 inches in areas east of I-95. Precipitation amounts taper off moving west, as central areas are expected to receive normal-to-above-normal totals of 0.5 to 2 inches. Far southwest areas are expected to receive between 0.1 and 0.5 inches. The DMTF will meet again on Aug. 25.
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.
*Note: The DMTF has listed a watch status for three counties and four cities in the Middle James, however the rest of the region remains in warning status.
###
|
|
|
About DEQ
The Department of Environmental Quality protects and enhances Virginia’s environment and promotes the health and well being of the citizens of the Commonwealth. We are committed to cleaner water, improved air quality, and the productive re-use of contaminated land.
For more information, please visit www.DEQ.Virginia.gov.
|
|
|
|
