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Parts of Virginia now in severe drought

Posted at 1:36 PM, Mar 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-09 14:35:08-05

RICHMOND, Va. — While precipitation in January of this year was about an inch above normal, the period since then has been fairly dry.

Rainfall deficits have been a bit worse across northern Virginia.  These parts of the state did not end 2016 with a large surplus of precipitation.

Areas well northwest of Richmond have been placed into the moderate drought category, and locations near Washington, D.C. are now in a severe drought status.

Here are the current deficits:

RICHMOND

  • -0.78″ March
  • -1.58″  This Year
  • -2.05″  February

WASHINGTON, D.C.

  • -0.67″  March
  • -2.67″  This Year
  • -1.94″  February
  • -8.05″  Last Year

It does appear that we will see a more active pattern over the next week, and this should provide some opportunities for rain and snow.

The heavy rainfall in California has eliminated a large portion of their drought.  That state spent a long period of time in the exceptional drought category.

Extreme drought conditions are currently found in parts of the Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, and western North & South Carolina.