Drought in Virginia, August 1 to 31, 1998

Persistent high pressure brought unusually dry weather during the entire month for much of northern and central Virginia. Only 0.45 inches of rain fell at Washington Dulles Airport (VAZ042), which was significantly less than the normal of 3.94 inches. Similar readings were found across most of central and northern Virginia. The lack of rainfall substantially reduced crop yields. Corn, hay, and soybeans were hardest hit. Many farmers had to dip into winter reserves to feed livestock. Stafford, Fauquier, and Culpeper Cos. expected to lose around half their corn crop. In general, the drought was expected to reduce the corn and soybean harvest by 20 to 40 percent across the region.The lack of rainfall also contributed to increasingly dry timber and brush. The U.S. Forest Service reported the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests were twice as dry as normal, and five fires broke out in these parks during the first week of the month. One of these fires burned a small portion of land near Schothorn Gap in Page Co. In addition to the fire threat, reservoirs continued to dry out. A water emergency was declared in Spotsylvania Co (VAZ056) on the 30th as the Ni River reservoir had neared dangerously low levels.