Virginia, 1997

Drought in Virginia, July 1 to 31, 1997

July 1 to 31, 1997 · NWS LWX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A very dry month, containing one 7 day heat wave, exacerbated drought-like conditions across much of the fertile farmland of northern Virginia. The weather in July proved to be the death knell for much of the crop yields, including corn, hay, alfalfa, and soybeans.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
$10 million
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.

A very dry month, containing one 7 day heat wave, exacerbated drought-like conditions across much of the fertile farmland of northern Virginia. The weather in July proved to be the death knell for much of the crop yields, including corn, hay, alfalfa, and soybeans. Clarke Co (VAZ031) alone reported $2 million in crop damage. Other counties in the northern Virginia piedmont reported damage via local farms; dollar estimates were similar to those in Clarke Co, though no formal declarations of federal emergency were received from them.The dry, hot weather resulted in a temporary water restriction to be enacted in Spotsylvania Co on the 19th and 20th.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Shenandoah

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Shenandoah forecast zone
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Coordinates
38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Frederick

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Frederick forecast zone
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Coordinates
39.195, -78.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Warren

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Crop damage
$1.0 million
Coordinates
38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Clarke

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Clarke forecast zone
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Coordinates
39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Rappahannock

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Rappahannock forecast zone
Crop damage
$1.0 million
Coordinates
38.685, -78.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Fauquier

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Fauquier forecast zone

Drought, Loudoun

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Loudoun forecast zone
Crop damage
$2.0 million

Drought, Prince William

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Prince William forecast zone

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5611102, 5611103, 5611104, 5611105, 5611106, 5611107, 5611108, 5611109.