Drought — Mercer, West Virginia

2024-08-27 to 2024-08-31 · Mercer, West Virginia

Event narrative

Dryness expanded across northwest Mercer County during the second half of August given spotty rainfall totals ranging from 0.75 to 1.50 inches falling from August 13th through the end of the month. Much of this was the result of brief but heavy rain during passing thunderstorm activity that was often localized. This prevented soil moisture and streamflows from benefiting for more than a few days after the rain event, with dryness then quickly returning. By the end of the month, soil moisture across Mercer County ranged from the 10th to the 30th percentiles, while many streamflows in area rivers had fallen below the 25th percentile. Pastureland grasses were reported to be insufficient to keep cattle fed, causing farmers to supplement hay much earlier than they normally would. Some farmers were also reportedly making plans to sell livestock as they did not have the resources to keep them through the winter.

Wider weather episode

Dryness expanded across much of southeast West Virginia during the second half of August given spotty rainfall totals ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 inches falling from August 13th through the end of the month. Much of this was the result of brief but heavy rain during passing thunderstorm activity that was often localized. This prevented soil moisture and streamflows from benefiting for more than a few days after the rain event, with dryness then quickly returning. By the end of the month, soil moistures ranged from the 10th to the 30th percentiles, while streamflows were falling increasingly below normal. Pastureland grasses were reported to be insufficient to keep cattle fed, causing farmers to supplement hay much earlier than they normally would. Some farmers were also reportedly making plans to sell livestock as they did not have the resources to keep them through the winter.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1214994. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.