KINGWOOD, W.Va. (WBOY) — With summer still to come, some parts of West Virginia are already experiencing severe drought conditions.
According to an emergency designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), nine counties in Maryland and seven in West Virginia have been declared as Natural Disaster Areas due to drought conditions experienced since November 2025.
The following West Virginia counties are included in this designation:
- Preston
- Berkeley
- Grant
- Hampshire
- Jefferson
- Mineral
- Morgan
Under the designation, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has extended emergency loans to farmers and other means of production that have suffered from a lack of rainfall…