West Virginia, 1998

Drought in West Virginia, August 1 to 31, 1998

August 1 to 31, 1998 · NWS LWX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Persistent high pressure brought unusually dry weather to portions of eastern West Virginia. Less than 1 inch of rain fell across much of the region; values which were only 25 percent of normal for the month.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

Persistent high pressure brought unusually dry weather to portions of eastern West Virginia. Less than 1 inch of rain fell across much of the region; values which were only 25 percent of normal for the month. The lack of rainfall significantly reduced crop yields in an area from Martinsburg to Franklin. Hay and pasture were hardest hit, affecting livestock feed supplies.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Hampshire

When
August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.317, -78.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hardy

When
August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Hardy forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.008, -78.858 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Pendleton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Pendleton forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

Drought, Berkeley

When
August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Berkeley forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.464, -78.027 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Morgan

When
August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Morgan forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.560, -78.258 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jefferson

When
August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.308, -77.863 (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

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, August 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: 5665217, 5665218, 5665219, 5665220, 5665221, 5665222.