Drought in Virginia, December 1 to 31, 1998

This was the sixth month in a row that drought conditions were seen across Northern Virginia. Persistent high pressure over the Southeast U.S. forced most precipitation producing low pressure systems to steer north of the region. In addition, record high temperatures baked the region during the first week of the month. Only 1.74 inches of precipitation fell at Washington Reagan National Airport in Arlington County during December, 1.38 inches below normal. In the past 127 years, only one other July through December on record (1930) received less precipitation than the last half of 1998. The 6 month total at the airport was only 7.45 inches, 12.82 inches below normal. Similarly, 1.53 inches of precipitation fell at Dulles Airport in Loudoun County during December, 1.69 inches below normal. The 6 month precipitation total at Dulles Airport was only 7.27 inches, 13.24 inches below normal. Other monthly precipitation totals from area counties included 0.8 inches in Frederick, 1.2 inches in Clarke, 1.4 inches in Orange, Warren and Loudoun, 1.5 inches in Shenandoah, 1.6 inches in Fauquier and the city of Fredericksburg, 1.7 inches in Culpeper, 1.9 inches in Rockingham, 2.0 inches in Rappahannock and Fairfax, 2.2 inches in Augusta, and 3.1 inches in Madison.The Ni Reservoir, main water supply in Spotsylvania County, remained at a record low level through the month. Mandatory water restrictions continued across the county for the fifth straight month, and on the 8th, county businesses were banned from using water outdoors. Many community wells ran dry in rural Spotsylvania County, Rappahannock County and near Hopkins in Orange County. Many other communities across Northern Virginia instituted voluntary water restrictions during the month, including Loudoun and Fairfax Counties. Goose Creek Reservoir in Loudoun County was partially drained into Beaverdam Creek Reservoir to keep the main water storage site for Loudoun and Fairfax Counties full. The Hirst Reservoir near Purcellville in Loudoun County dropped 6 feet below normal by mid month, and Lake Manassas was 8 feet below normal during December. The Thorton River near Sperryville in Rappahannock County ran dry, and stream flow on all rivers within the Potomac, Shenandoah, and Rappahannock river basins were 85% below normal during December. The Palmer Index rated Northern Virginia in a severe to extreme drought, and the Governor declared a state of emergency across Virginia on December 1st due to the dry weather and resulting extreme fire danger. An open burning ban continued across Virginia through December 10th.