Drought in Bath, Virginia

Severe Drought conditions were declared for Bath County during the early half of July after another month of precipitation that was less than 30 to 70 percent of normal. The Cooperative Weather Observer at Hot Springs (HSPV2) measured 2.92 inches of rainfall for the preious 30-day period ending July 9th, about 68 percent of the normal amount of 4.31 inches for June. However, much of this rainfall occurred mainly during 2 thunderstorms events, much of the rainfall of which ran off as opposed to being absorbed by the soil. NASA SPoRT LIS data estimated that average soil moisture in the top 100 cm of soil was between the 2nd and 10th percentiles by the middle of July, and was deteriorating. Streamflows for the Bullpasture River and Back Creek were observed below the 10th percentiles by mid-July per the USGS WaterWatch website.

Severe Drought conditions expanded to include most of the NWS Blacksburg service area by the middle of July after roughly 45 days of precipitation totals that were between 25 and 50 percent of normal. Daytime temperatures were an average of 2 to 5 degrees above normal during the period, and the number of hours of daylight per day were the highest of the year, both of which maximized evapotranspiration. These conditions contributed to a rapid decrease in streamflows, groundwater and soil moisture in this region, where observed values for each had fallen below the 10th percentile by the middle of July. The drought occurred at a critical time for crop growth, severely impacting corn and hay production among other crops. Ranchers reported most pasture grasses had wilted and gone dormant due to the dry conditions, forcing ranchers to begin feeding hay to their livestock.