Drought in Roane, West Virginia

May started with severe drought (D2) present across much of eastern WV, including: Fayette, McDowell, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Wyoming, southeast Braxton, eastern Logan, eastern Mingo, southern Upshur, and most of Boone, Clay, Kanawha, Randolph, and Webster counties. Moderate drought (D1) also persisted across most of western and north-central WV, with the exception of Pleasants, Wood, northwest Jackson, northern Mason, western Ritchie, western Tyler, and western Wirt counties where conditions were merely abnormally dry (D0). Only minimal changes to D0 and D1 occurred in the second week of the month. D2, however, spread out across all of Boone and Kanawha counties; most of Lincoln, Logan, and Putnam counties; and portions of eastern Cabell, southern Jackson, southern Roane, and eastern Wayne counties. Conditions worsened even more the following week, as D2 engulfed most of southern, central, and eastern West Virginia, and a sliver of extreme drought (D3) crept into eastern McDowell, southeast Raleigh, and eastern Wyoming counties. Impacts included hauling water for livestock, supplemental feeding for livestock due to slow pasture growth, and slow crop growth. Fortunately, enough precipitation fell at the end of the month to eradicate D3 and confine D2 to mainly Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Nicholas, Logan, Mingo, McDowell, Raleigh, Webster, Wyoming, southern Braxton, eastern Lincoln, southern Roane, and southern Wayne. D1 improved to D0 in southern Tyler, Doddridge, northern Harrison, northern Taylor, part of northern Barbour, Ritchie, Wirt, northwest Gilmer, northern Calhoun, northern Roane, northern Jackson, northwest Mason, northwest Cabell, and part of northern Wayne. Meanwhile, drought was completely eliminated from counties, or at least portions of counties, bordering the Ohio River.

Generally less than an inch of rain fell during the first week of May. Around an inch or less accumulated during the second week. During the third week of the month, much of the area received around an inch and a half or less of rain, though a strip of up to two inches fell along the Ohio River. More substantial precipitation occurred at the end of the month, when one to three inches of rain fell to the south of I-64 and one and a half to over four inches fell to the north of I-64. Highest amounts were observed across portions of Barbour, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Taylor, Randolph, and Upshur counties. Multiple rounds of rain during this time finally allowed for significant improvement to drought conditions, particularly across the northern and western part of the state.

The six climate sites in West Virginia were evenly split between above and below normal total precipitation for the month, with Beckley, Charleston, and Elkins on the below normal side and Clarksburg, Huntington, and Parkersburg on the above normal side. On the 22nd, Clarksburg, Huntington, and Parkersburg each received enough rain to break their existing daily precipitation records. Beckley was also able to tie a standing daily precipitation record on the 24th of the month.