The Shadow
COVINGTON, Va. (VR) – Months of below-normal rainfall have pushed roughly 80% of Virginia into drought conditions, and the effects are visible from the reservoirs that supply the Alleghany Highlands to lakes across the state that draw summer tourists.
As of July 14, about 34,189 square miles of Virginia—nearly 80% of the state—were classified as being in active drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Another 12% was listed as abnormally dry. Roughly one-third of the state is in moderate drought, another one-third is in severe drought, and nearly 16% is experiencing extreme drought.
Alleghany County has felt the dry stretch directly. Data from the National Integrated Drought Information System show the county recorded its 24th-driest April in 132 years of record-keeping, while the year through April ranked as the 17th driest on record, with precipitation nearly three inches below normal. This year, the county was among those receiving a USDA drought disaster designation.
Lake Moomaw, which straddles Alleghany and Bath counties, has seen water levels fall steadily. As of Wednesday, the lake stood at about 1,576.6 feet, more than five feet below its full-pool elevation of 1,582 feet, according to gauge data from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service at Gathright Dam. The lake has dropped nearly three feet over the past 30 days alone, and nearly 92% of its watershed in Bath County remains in official drought.
The dry conditions have been even more severe farther east at Smith Mountain Lake, where Appalachian Power has confirmed that water levels are running about five feet below normal—a level not seen in roughly two decades, according to Bedford Water. The utility, along with the Smith Mountain Lake Association, has urged boaters to watch for newly exposed rocks, stumps, and shoals. Bedford Water has also asked customers to voluntarily reduce water use by 5% to 10% to help avoid mandatory restrictions.
Appalachian Power has activated what it calls “drought trigger points” under its Water Management Plan, which establishes guidelines for operating its hydroelectric dam during periods of prolonged drought. Officials say the region is experiencing its worst 12-month drought since 2007.
Even recent rainfall has done little to reverse the trend. An Appalachian Power spokesperson said in late May that soils across the region were so dry they were absorbing rainfall before it could run off into the lake.
The dry, hot conditions have also increased wildfire concerns across Central and Southwest Virginia, including the Alleghany Highlands. Fire officials have warned of “red flag” conditions—a combination of low humidity, high temperatures, and gusty winds that allows wildfires to ignite and spread rapidly. The Virginia Department of Forestry has noted that 80% to 90% of wildfires are human-caused and has urged residents to avoid outdoor burning during dry, windy weather.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Drought Monitoring Task Force, made up of experts from agencies in Virginia and West Virginia, has been meeting regularly to evaluate rainfall, streamflow, groundwater, and reservoir data across the state’s 13 drought evaluation regions. The task force met on July 7 and was scheduled to reconvene on July 21 to reassess conditions.
Virginia typically receives more than 40 inches of rain annually and is generally considered “water rich,” but the state has a history of prolonged droughts, including multiyear dry spells from 1999 to 2002, 2007 to 2008, and 2010 to 2012. A high-impact drought in late 2023 helped fuel several major wildfires, including the Matts Creek Fire in the Jefferson National Forest.
For now, officials across the Commonwealth are urging residents to conserve water whenever possible and remain alert to changing conditions, whether they’re on the water or in the woods. Water managers say that without a sustained period of rainfall, the current dry pattern is unlikely to break anytime soon.
