Dry conditions taking hold across Central Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The weekly (Thursday) drought monitor map is out, with Central Virginia staying in the “abnormally dry” category.

There’s not much of a change from last week’s update-- although you’ll notice the Eastern Shore is now in Moderate drought. There are a LOT of farmers on the Eastern Shore.

With a dry forecast for the next week, there’s no relief in sight as Central Virginia’s soil stays dry. Some scattered storms (and downpours) Sunday helped in spots, but many areas (such as the Richmond Airport) have only gotten 0.37″ of rain for September, which is 1.91″ below normal.

This is the time of year when it can dry out quickly, and if we don’t get any tropical moisture from landfalling systems, sometimes in September and October can get very dry in Virginia. In fact, our driest month on Record in Richmond happened in October 2000 with only 0.01″ of rain!

The dryness can impact fall crops, lower shallow well levels, plus hinder gardeners and people trying to grow grass.

The James River, responsible for a large part of the Richmond Region’s water supply is dropping but is in good shape for now. The James River Westham Gauge is around 4′ which is just fine for late summer/early fall.

There’s no emergency as of now, but no improvement is expected for the next seven days.

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