West Virginia, 1998

Drought in West Virginia, December 1 to 31, 1998

December 1 to 31, 1998 · NWS LWX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

This was the sixth month in a row that drought conditions were seen across the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. S.

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
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.

This was the sixth month in a row that drought conditions were seen across the Eastern Panhandle of West 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. Monthly precipitation totals from counties in the region included 0.6 inches in Hampshire, 0.7 inches in Mineral, 0.8 inches in Morgan, 0.9 inches in Hardy, 1.0 inches in Pendleton, and 1.3 inches in Grant and Jefferson. Average precipitation for the month of December is around 3 inches. Most locations received less than half of their normal precipitation from July through December. A ban on open burning continued through mid December in Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan, and Pendleton Counties due to extreme fire danger.

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, Hampshire

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

Drought, Hardy

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

Drought, Pendleton

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Pendleton forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Grant

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Mineral

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Mineral forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Morgan

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

Drought, Berkeley

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

Drought, Jefferson

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
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, December 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: 5674223, 5674335, 5674336, 5674337, 5674338, 5674339, 5674340, 5674341.