According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s weekly update, much of West Virginia is still experiencing drought conditions.
Rainstorms developing from Tropical Storm Helene partially relieved southern parts of the state – with many counties dropping from the higher-tier drought intensity levels on the map – but more northwestern regions have seen little change.
“Given how severe the drought had been and how it’s been going on for a while, it’s going to take more than one storm to completely solve the situation,” Rich Tinker, a meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center, explained.
This year, the state saw abnormal drought conditions starting in July, with nine West Virginia counties reporting “exceptional” drought in September.
Exceptional drought is concentrated in Jackson, Roane, Calhoun, and Braxton counties, also touching on Wirt, Gilmer, and Webster counties.
“With the cooler season and especially with some of the rain we just got, it’s easy to see things as getting much better,” Tinker said. “But, in a lot of cases, they’re not.”
Tinker emphasized the importance of following local burn bans and water conservation efforts. Statewide forest fire season runs from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, with burning banned between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.