Drought in Virginia, October 1 to 22, 2019

Name: Drought in Virginia, October 1 to 22, 2019
Start: 2019-10-01T07:00
End: 2019-10-22T06:00
Location: Virginia

October 1 to 22, 2019 · NWS RNK · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

S. Drought Monitor and remained there for the next three weeks (until issuance of October 22nd).

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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: $9.7 million
Events: 12

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.

Parts of southwestern and south central Virginia entered the severe drought classification (D2 on a scale from D0 to D4) on the October 1st issuance of the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor and remained there for the next three weeks (until issuance of October 22nd). Dry conditions actually began as far back as July and August in some areas but the rainfall was very uneven. It was a very dry and hot September that really caused a rapid deterioration in the drought situation in much of Virginia. Several NWS COOP sites had all-time driest Septembers or even the driest of any month. The dry conditions were aggravated by an early October heat wave with numerous record or near-record highs occurred from October 1st through 4th.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 30, 6:22 PM EST, 12 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 30, 6:22 PM EST, 12 hours 38 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 30, 3:25 PM EST, 15 hours 35 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Giles

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Giles forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 37.314, -80.704 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across most of Giles County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. Impacts were primarily agricultural and included pasture losses and reduced hay cuttings. The NWS COOP site at Pearisburg 4 SSE (STFV2) in Giles County recorded a mere 0.15 inches of rain in September. This was the 2nd driest of any month on record at this station with nearly complete data back to 1951. The previous record was a trace in October, 2000.

Drought, Bland

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Bland forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 37.134, -81.130 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across nearly all of Bland County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1st to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. Impacts were primarily agricultural and included pasture losses and reduced hay cuttings.

Drought, Craig

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Craig forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 37.481, -80.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across about the northern half of Craig County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1st to October 22nd. Impacts were primarily agricultural and included pasture losses and reduced hay cuttings.

Drought, Pulaski

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 37.098, -80.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across northwest Pulaski County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. The NWS COOP station at Pulaski 2 E (PSKV2), with nearly complete data back to 1940 saw only 0.58 inches in September, the 5th driest September on record.

Drought, Wythe

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Wythe forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 36.917, -81.079 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across northern Wythe County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. The NWS COOP site at Wytheville (WTYV2) in Wythe County recorded a mere 0.23 inches of rain in September. This was the 3rd driest September on record at this station with nearly complete data back to 1930.

Drought, Tazewell

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Tazewell forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 37.125, -81.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across northeast Tazewell County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. The NWS COOP site at Burkes Garden (BURV2) in southeastern Tazewell County recorded only 0.27 inches of rain in September. This was the 3rd driest September on record at this station with nearly complete data back to 1896.

Drought, Franklin

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 36.992, -79.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across northern Franklin County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. The NWS COOP site at Rocky Mount (RYMV2) in central Franklin County recorded only 0.62 inches of rain in September. This was the 7th driest September on record at this station with nearly complete data back to 1894.

Drought, Bath

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Bath forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 38.059, -79.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across southwest Bath County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. At Hot Springs in Bath County it was the 3rd warmest September on record at 68.6 degrees, coming after 2018 at 69.1. Records date back to 1893 at this station.

Drought, Bedford

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Bedford forecast zone
Crop damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 37.315, -79.524 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across western Bedford County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. The NWS COOP site at Bedford (BDFV2) recorded only 0.31 inches of rain in September. This was the 3rd driest September on record at this station with around 85 years of sporadic data back to 1893. Impacts to corn, soybeans, hay and pasture amounted to around $9 million.

Drought, Buckingham

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Buckingham forecast zone
Crop damage: $705,000
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 37.572, -78.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across portions of eastern Buckingham County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. The NWS COOP site at Buckingham (BUKV2) recorded only 0.36 inches of rain in September. This was the 3rd driest September on record at this station with nearly complete data back to 1950 and sporadic data back to 1894. Damages were mainly to hay and pasture with related economic losses in livestock.

Drought, Patrick

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Patrick forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 36.678, -80.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across southeast Patrick County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. The NWS COOP site at Stuart (STUV2) in Patrick County recorded only 0.69 inches of rain in September. This was the 3rd driest September on record at this station with nearly complete data back to 1923.

Drought, Halifax

When: October 1, 7:00 AM EST to October 22, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Halifax forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 36.767, -78.937 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe drought (D2) was depicted across southeast Halifaxl County on the U.S. Drought Monitor from October 1 to October 22nd. An extremely dry and very warm September led to the worsening conditions in the county. The NWS COOP site at South Boston (SOBV2) in Halifax County recorded only 0.54 inches of rain in September. This was the 3rd driest September on record at this station with nearly complete data back to 1980.

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 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, October 2019

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 860465, 860472, 860473, 860475, 860477, 860486, 860489, 860494, 860496, 860497, 860505, 860577.