Fairfax County is no longer at high risk of experiencing a drought, thanks to the rain brought last week by Tropical Storm Debby.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced today (Friday) that it has lifted its drought advisories for almost all of the state, including Northern Virginia, which has been under a drought warning since late June.
DEQ says “several factors” led the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force to recommend the change in status when it met on Tuesday (Aug. 13).
“Some portions of the Commonwealth received more than 8 inches of rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, and storage at major water supply reservoirs have recovered and are all within normal ranges,” DEQ said in a press release. “Streamflow over the past 7-28 day period has shown improvements across the majority of the Commonwealth due to recent precipitation.”
However, advisories remain in place for the Big Sandy and Shenandoah regions, where streamflow and groundwater levels remain well below normal.
DEQ first issued a drought warning advisory for Northern Virginia and Shenandoah on June 24, signaling that “a significant drought is imminent” due to a heat wave and a lack of rain accumulation.
This has been one of the hottest summers on record for the D.C. region. As of yesterday (Thursday), Dulles International Airport is experiencing its warmest summer since 1960, and in Vienna, it’s tied for the sixth warmest since 1925, according to Southeast Regional Climate Center data.
The region got some needed precipitation last week when remnants of Debby, which originally made landfall in Florida on Aug. 5, arrived. According to the National Weather Service, a total of 3.31 inches of rain fell in the D.C. area from Aug. 8-10. The 1.8 inches recorded last Friday (Aug. 9) was the most precipitation seen all summer.
DEQ’s drought conditions map indicates that Northern Virginia’s precipitation, reservoir and streamflow levels are now normal, though groundwater levels, as measured by Fairfax County’s U.S. Geological Survey Observation Well, are only just above the 25th percentile.
In late July, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) declared a Drought Watch for the entire D.C. region, advising community members to conserve water as much as possible to prevent the watch from turning into a warning that could bring mandatory restrictions.
COG released a status update on Aug. 9 that found “moderate, severe, and extreme drought are still present in the Potomac Basin,” but it expressed hope that, with Debby’s remnants arriving, the upcoming U.S. Drought Monitor would show improvements.
The drought monitor is updated every Thursday with data through the previous Tuesday. The map no longer shows any extreme drought in the D.C. area, but Northern Virginia still appears to be experiencing abnormally dry to severe drought conditions.
DEQ is still advising residents who get water from the Potomac River to consult COG’s Water Supply and Drought Awareness Response Plan for guidance.
“All Virginians are encouraged to protect water supplies by minimizing water use, monitoring drought conditions, and detecting and repairing leaks,” DEQ said.
