Extreme drought area expands in Virginia for the first time in weeks

RICHMOND, Va. — Despite some rainfall, Virginia's drought continues. After a brief period of modest improvement, the extreme drought area is expanding for the first time in weeks.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday and based on conditions through Tuesday morning, shows 32% of the state is in moderate drought, 40% is in severe drought, and 26% is in extreme drought. Compared to last week's figures of 32% moderate, 43% severe, and 23% extreme, 3% of the severe category was upgraded to extreme.

Severe to extreme drought continues across much of the region. It is estimated that 8 to 12 inches of rainfall in the next 30 days are needed to eliminate much of the drought.

(WTVR)

Richmond issued its first voluntary water conservation advisory since 2002 on July 1, as the James River continued to run below normal levels. Mayor Danny Avula urged residents across the region to reduce non-essential water use.

"There's little things that we can all do to play our part to make sure that we have enough water to get us through the season and hopefully as we head into the fall we'll see it pick back up," Avula said.

Richmond's water treatment plant supplies water to Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Goochland, and Powhatan, making regional participation critical.

Mandatory restrictions already in place

Twenty-nine community water systems have mandatory conservation measures in place across Caroline, Fauquier, Louisa, Orange, Powhatan, and Shenandoah counties.

Without continued above-normal rainfall, drought conditions are expected to worsen as summer temperatures rise and evapotranspiration rates increase. If conditions deteriorate further, drought advisories in certain localities could be upgraded from warning to emergency status, triggering additional mandatory water use restrictions.

Virginia has been experiencing its driest period since 1941, with precipitation running approximately 8.5 inches below normal for the water year that began Oct. 1, 2025. Governor Abigail Spanberger has encouraged all Virginians to take voluntary, commonsense steps to conserve water.

What residents can do

Officials say water conservation should be 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
• Wash cars less often