Virginia drought update: Extreme drought nearly gone as conditions improve fast

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia's drought is continuing its dramatic improvement, with extreme drought nearly disappearing from the state and the Richmond area showing some of its best conditions in months.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday and based on conditions through Tuesday, shows 42% of the state is in the very dry category, 26% is in moderate drought, 18% is in severe drought, and just 0.3% remains in extreme drought.

Compared to last week's figures of 22% very dry, 42% moderate, 21% severe, and 4% extreme, the most dramatic shift is a 20-percentage-point jump in the very dry category — almost entirely absorbed from moderate drought, indicating large areas that were in moderate drought have improved to just abnormally dry conditions.

(WTVR)

Extreme drought has nearly vanished, now limited to a small isolated pocket near Danville.

Around 13% of Virginia is under no drought classification at all, and this includes an area from just south of downtown Richmond down through the Tri Cities.

The Charlottesville area has also shifted largely from severe to moderate drought, while the Lynchburg down to near Danville is in severe drought.

Despite the encouraging improvement, drought conditions persist across parts of the commonwealth. Virginia is still experiencing its second driest water year on record, and officials have consistently warned that a prolonged period of above-normal rainfall will be needed for full recovery — particularly for groundwater levels and reservoirs.

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Weather News

MAPS: A week-by-week look at tracking Virginia's drought

Roanoke region still in emergency

The Roanoke region — which includes Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania, and Roanoke counties, and the cities of Danville, Martinsville, Roanoke, and Salem — remains under a drought emergency, the most severe advisory level.

Smith Mountain Lake and John Kerr Reservoir remain much below normal for this time of year despite recent rainfall. Monitoring wells in Clarke, Patrick, Prince William, and Bedford counties were at or near record low water levels as of the most recent DEQ update.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger has encouraged all Virginians to continue conserving water as the drought persists in parts of the state.

WATCH: Virginia governor pushes back on claims that data centers are worsening Virginia's drought

What residents can do

Even with conditions improving significantly, officials say water conservation should remain an everyday practice at home and at work. Suggested steps include:

• Shorten showers
• Turn off faucets while brushing teeth or shaving
• Run full loads of dishes and laundry
• Disable automatic lawn sprinklers
• Water lawns less frequently, only between dusk and dawn
• Wash cars less often
• If on a private well with low or no flow pressure, contact your local health department