Drought in Virginia, November 1 to 25, 1998

Name: Drought in Virginia, November 1 to 25, 1998
Start: 1998-11-01T00:00
End: 1998-11-25T23:59
Location: Virginia

November 1 to 25, 1998 · NWS RNK · 27 events in 27 counties and zones

Dry conditions started in July, subsided in August, started again in September, and continued through most of November. In most areas, crops were damaged or destroyed.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 27 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: $550,000
Events: 27

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 RNK wrote it up.

Dry conditions started in July, subsided in August, started again in September, and continued through most of November. In most areas, crops were damaged or destroyed. Water levels in creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes were fairly low. Water levels in some shallow wells were low.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

27 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Alleghany / Clifton Forge / Covington

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Alleghany / Clifton Forge / Covington forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.791, -80.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Amherst

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Amherst forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.605, -79.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Appomattox

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Appomattox forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.372, -78.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Bath

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Bath forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 38.059, -79.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Bedford / Bedford

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Bedford / Bedford forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.315, -79.524 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Bland

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Bland forecast zone
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.134, -81.130 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Botetourt

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Botetourt forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.557, -79.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Buckingham

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Buckingham forecast zone
Crop damage: $30,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.572, -78.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Campbell / Lynchburg

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Campbell / Lynchburg forecast zone
Crop damage: $40,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.310, -79.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Carroll / Galax

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Carroll / Galax forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.697, -80.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Charlotte

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Charlotte forecast zone
Crop damage: $40,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.012, -78.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Craig

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Craig forecast zone
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.481, -80.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Floyd

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Floyd forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.932, -80.362 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Franklin

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Crop damage: $25,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.992, -79.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Giles

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Giles forecast zone
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.314, -80.704 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Grayson

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Grayson forecast zone
Crop damage: $15,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.657, -81.225 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Halifax

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Halifax forecast zone
Crop damage: $60,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.767, -78.937 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Henry / Martinsville

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Henry / Martinsville forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.689, -79.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Montgomery / Radford

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Montgomery / Radford forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.174, -80.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Patrick

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Patrick forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.678, -80.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Pittsylvania / Danville

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Pittsylvania / Danville forecast zone
Crop damage: $60,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.704, -79.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Pulaski

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.098, -80.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Roanoke / Salem / Roanoke

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Roanoke / Salem / Roanoke forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.258, -80.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Rockbridge / Buena Vista / Lexington

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Rockbridge / Buena Vista / Lexington forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.774, -79.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Smyth

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Smyth forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.844, -81.537 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Tazewell

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Tazewell forecast zone
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 37.125, -81.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wythe

When: November 1, 12:00 AM EST to November 25, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Wythe forecast zone
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 36.917, -81.079 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Virginia in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, November 1998

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: 5677217, 5677218, 5677219, 5677220, 5677221, 5677222, 5677223, 5677224, 5677225, 5677226, 5677227, 5677228, 5677229, 5677230, 5677231, 5677232, 5677233, 5677234, 5677235, 5677236, 5677237, 5677238, 5677239, 5677240, 5677241, 5677242, 5677243.