By Stephen Smoot
In the winter months, the Potomac Highlands received healthy amounts of precipitation. Heavy rains drenched the region in spring and early summer with little relief.
Now “healthy” and “heavy” have petered away to “hardly any.” As a result, the Mountain State faces reentry into drought conditions battled for much of 2024. Drier conditions have brought the depletion of water in streams as well as the onset of brush fires, such as one that erupted last Friday near Baker.
According to the official federal government website Drought.gov, West Virginia has seen its second driest August since recordkeeping commenced in 1895.
The National Weather Service shared that as of yesterday, Hardy County officially has reached drought status. North of a line approximately running from near Petersburg Gap to Wardensville, Hardy County currently is in D-2 Severe Drought. That status brings the likelihood of “crop or pasture loss likely, fire risk very high, water shortages common, water restrictions imposed.”
South of that line remains in D-1 Moderate Drought, which brings conditions such as “some damage to crops, pastures, fire risk high; streams, reservoirs or wells low, some water shortage developing or imminent, voluntary water use restrictions requested.”
At Moorefield, the gauge on the South Branch River shows flow “below” normal, which is a better condition than “much below” or “low” in the NWS rubric. The predicted outlook for conditions is to worsen in the short term.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture offered guidance to livestock producers last week, encouraging them to “take proactive steps . . . to prevent long-term damage.” To protect pasturelands, “WVDA recommends confining cattle if feeding hay and reducing grazing pressure until rainfall improves conditions.”
It goes on to state that “overgrazing during drought can weaken forage stands, making it difficult for pastures to recover.” The WVDA, however, offers “fencing from Conservation District offices to help confine animals and prevent damage.” Other relief programs may be approved if conditions persist.
The worst conditions afflict 10 counties classified in the system as D-3 Extreme Drought. According to the National Weather Service, this brings the likelihood of “major crop/pasture losses, extreme fire danger, widespread water shortages or restrictions. Counties in this tier include Hancock, Brooke, Barbour, Braxton, Nicholas, Webster, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Lewis.
