ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — Federal weather officials say Virginia’s deepening drought may linger well into spring, despite the recent blast of winter precipitation. In a new outlook released Saturday, January 31, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that drought conditions across the Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley are likely to persist through at least the end of April.
The forecast covers much of the Commonwealth, including Rockingham, Albemarle, Madison, Shenandoah, and Augusta counties—areas that have watched river levels and groundwater levels decline over the past several months. According to data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey on January 29, the water table in the central Shenandoah Valley was down 20 feet since the end of July. While the recent winter storm delivered a welcome mix of sleet, snow, and icy rain, forecasters say the moisture barely dented the long-term deficit. Frozen soils are preventing the soil moisture from percolating to the water table. A gradual warming over the next several days may improve the situation…