Drought in West Virginia, September 1 to 30, 1999

Rainfall from two tropical storms and a handful of low pressure systems made an impact in the drought that plagued the region since the summer of 1998. By the end of the month, conditions across the Eastern Panhandle were upgraded from an extreme to a moderate drought because rainfall was above average during September. Rainfall totals included 7.9 inches in Jefferson County, 6.6 inches in Hardy County, 6.4 inches in Pendleton County, 6.0 inches in Hampshire County, 5.9 inches in Morgan County, 4.3 inches in Grant County, and 3.8 inches in Mineral County. Effects of the drought still lingered in the agricultural community. Across the state by the end of the month, 81% of topsoil was reported short or very short of moisture. 32% of apples, 67% of corn, 69% of hay, 77% of pasture land, 30% of soybeans, and 33% of tobacco crops were in poor or very poor condition. By month's end, 28% of farmers were still hauling water for livestock, and 25% of wells were dry or had an extremely low water reserve.