Drought Update

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality sent this bulletin at 10/23/2026 12:31 PM EDT

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DEQ.Virginia.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 23, 2026

CONTACT: Irina Calos
(804) 659-1333
irina.calos@deq.virginia.gov

DROUGHT UPDATE

Drought improvements in Western Virginia; Southeast backslides

Richmond, Va. – Due to longer-term dry conditions and recent widely varying precipitation, the Drought Monitoring Task Force (DMTF) has recommended the escalation of the Southeast Virginia drought evaluation region from a watch to warning advisory, and the de-escalation of the New River, Upper James, and Shenandoah drought evaluation regions.

The Shenandoah and Upper James drought evaluation regions have improved from warning status to watch status. The New River drought evaluation region is no longer under any drought advisory. All other advisories were maintained.

The following reflects these changes and maintained drought advisory designations for the Commonwealth:

A drought emergency advisory for:

Roanoke River: Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania, and Roanoke counties and the cities of Danville, Martinsville, Roanoke, and Salem

Drought warning advisories for:

Chowan: Brunswick, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Lunenburg, Nottoway, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, and Sussex counties and the cities of Emporia and Franklin
Eastern Shore: Accomack and Northampton counties
Middle James*: Albemarle, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Nelson, Powhatan, Prince Edward counties and the cities of Charlottesville and Lynchburg
Northern Coastal Plain: Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King George, King William, King and Queen, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland counties
Southeast Virginia: Isle of Wight County and the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach

Drought watch advisories for:

Northern Piedmont: Culpeper, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties and the City of Fredericksburg
Northern Virginia: Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park
Middle James*: Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico counties and the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond
York-James: Charles City, James City, New Kent, and York counties and the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg
Shenandoah: Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester

And no drought advisory for:

Big Sandy: Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and the cities of Bristol, and Norton
New River: Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Wythe counties and the cities of Galax, and Radford

The DMTF considered the following information in its advisory recommendations:

Streamflow levels were near normal for most of Virginia. Streamflows in portions of the Roanoke River basin quickly returned to below-normal levels following recent storm events, and stream gages in the Chowan drought evaluation region remained persistently below normal.

Soil moisture in shallow soils showed near-normal moisture conditions, while deeper soils remain drier than normal throughout southern and eastern areas of the state.

Groundwater levels receded following recent gains, and a general decline is expected to continue in groundwater levels until late November.

Reservoir levels remained within normal operating ranges with the exceptions of Smith Mountain Lake and John Kerr reservoir which remain much-below-average, and Beaverdam reservoir which remains slightly-below average.

Precipitation over the last seven days was below normal for much of the Commonwealth, with totals of less than half an inch measured along the Blue Ridge Mountains and throughout northern areas of the state. The recent lack of precipitation has been offset by higher-than-normal rainfall in the past 30 days, during which western areas of the state, and areas north of I-64 received between 150 and 200% of normal precipitation. Longer-term precipitation over the past 180 days shows moderate and severe dryness in central and southern areas of the state.

Producers reported no new, immediate drought-related impacts on agriculture this week. Harvest continues and producers are seeding cover crops throughout the state.

In response to these conditions, Governor Spanberger is encouraging Virginians to conserve water during this drought.

The seven-day forecast calls for no anticipated precipitation throughout the Commonwealth. The 14-day forecast favors warmer than normal temperatures, and drier-than-normal conditions for the northern half of the state.

Additional information on the current drought status is available on the DEQ drought webpage and Drought Dashboard, which includes interactive data on stream gages, groundwater wells, soil moisture, and precipitation.

 *Note: The DMTF has three counties and four cities listed under watch status in the Middle James, however the rest of the region remains in warning status.

About DEQ

The Department of Environmental Quality protects and enhances Virginia's environment and promotes the health and well being of the citizens of the Commonwealth. We are committed to cleaner water, improved air quality, and the productive re-use of contaminated land.

For more information, please visit www.DEQ.Virginia.gov.

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