Drought in West Virginia, November 1 to 30, 2024

Drought conditions continued into November, with worst conditions (D4) spanning a strip of counties from Jackson to Webster. Severe to Extreme drought (D2 to D3) covered the bulk of the state, while a strip of D1 or better conditions was present across portions of the mountains, southern, and southeast WV.

Fortunately, a series of systems brought beneficial rainfall to the area during the month. Most of these systems doled out around an inch of rain across large portions of the area, finally allowing for significant improvements to the drought. By mid-November, locations north of I-64 had experienced a one to two category improvement which eliminated D4 conditions from the state and significantly reduced the coverage of D3. Meanwhile, locations south of I-64 and along portions of the mountains ranged from D0 to D1. Further improvements occurred by the end of the month, eliminating D3 and confining D2 to the eastern panhandle. D1, however, maintained residence across northern and western WV, while southern and eastern portions of the area rose to D0 status.

By month’s end, five out of six climate sites (Beckley, Charleston, Elkins, Huntington, and Parkersburg) had all received above-normal rainfall for the month, and the sixth (Clarksburg) was less than two-tenths of an inch shy of normal. Among these sites, monthly rain amounts ranged from three to four and a half inches.