Drought in West Virginia, July 1 to 31, 1999

The drought strengthened during the 1st half of July. Showers became more common during the last 2 weeks of the month. Soil moisture and stream flow improved temporarily, especially in the Kanawha and Elk River Valleys. However, the extreme heat quickly dried the surface. Ground water continued to be depleted. It was the second warmest July on record both at Huntington and Beckley. Charleston had its 5th warmest July and its hottest month in 52 years. Charleston reached into the 90s for 24 days during the month. Afternoon temperatures in the 90s were common across all of the lowlands, due to the dry ground. Huntington reached 101 degrees on the 30th. Lesage of Cabell County had 100 degrees on the 5th.At the start of the month, counties were setting up water distribution points for citizens with dry wells. By month's end, 500 portable water storage tanks and two dozen water pumps were purchased by the state. This was done, mainly to bring water to livestock. Voluntary water conservation was in effect for 30 West Virginia counties. Small public service districts began imposing mandatory water rationing to their customers. The large Corps of Engineers dams were augmenting the river flows, lowering the elevation of lakes such as Summersville.