The entire state of Virginia is under drought warning as farmers predict the first crop failures in a decade

While much of the US is in the midst of a scorching heat wave, only one state is experiencing widespread drought.

Every county in Virginia is under a drought watch or has been issued a warning to prepare for drier than normal conditions.

A major drought in the state, home to more than eight million Americans, threatens agricultural and water availability and could cause devastating wildfires.

Farmers are particularly concerned about this problem, with many fearing that the crop will fail for the first time in a decade.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued the warning Monday affecting people in 12 counties across the state, while another 95 counties are under surveillance to facilitate residents’ preparedness for drought

Virginia has 41,500 operating farms covering 7.7 million acres that primarily export corn, wheat and soybeans to the entire US – the state is the fifth largest producer of soybeans in the country.

“There will be crop failures here this year and that’s something we haven’t seen in eight or 10 years,” said Robert Vaughn, owner of Vaughn Farms Produce. 10 Wavy news.

‘It’s been a dust bowl. I don’t dare plant the seed because it won’t come up.’

Virginia isn’t the only state where areas are experiencing drought, as 10 percent of the lower 48 states are under some form of warning or watch.

But rainfall has decreased in the southern state this year. In June, Richmond Airport received just 1.72 inches of precipitation, down from the normal average of nearly 3 inches.

While this number may not seem like a big difference, the combination with rising temperatures has quickly dried out the soil, causing a sudden drought.

This type of drought occurs quickly and occurs when there is a simultaneous occurrence of low precipitation, abnormally high temperatures, strong winds and/or changes in radiation.

“These sometimes rapid changes can quickly increase evaporation rates and remove available water from the landscape,” the study said. National Integrated Drought Information System.

“Over the last few weeks, we definitely haven’t seen as much rain as we would like to see,” Brendon Rubin-Oster, chief forecaster at the National Weather Service, said. WTOP.

‘The sun shines on the ground, which dries everything out even faster.’

The DEQ said stream flows — the flow of water in streams and other channels — across Virginia have fallen to the 25th percentile of normal in 13 regions and groundwater levels have continued to decline in the northern, central and eastern parts of the state.

Falling groundwater levels and lower than normal stream flows necessitated the drought warning and were exacerbated by a combination of high temperatures and lack of rain in the region.

“Five regions are currently below the 25th percentile, including the Big Sandy, the Northern Coastal Plain, Northern Piedmont, Upper James and Southeastern Virginia,” the DEQ said reported.

The US is experiencing above-average heat waves that are worsening drought in Virginia

Rubin-Oster said Virginia will need several days of rain to emerge from the drought, but that could end quickly with frequent thunderstorms. instantly.’

Virginians should take steps to minimize their water use by eliminating non-essential flushing of water lines, stopping the use of irrigation systems on lawns, golf courses and sports fields, and stopping the washing of paved surfaces such as streets, sidewalks and driveways.

DEQ’s drought relief plan also requires local governments and public water works to disable the operation of ornamental fountains, artificial waterfalls and misting machines.

This comes as 21 percent of the US population – about 70.2 million people – is living in areas with dangerous heat waves this week.

In Virginia alone, the heat index will surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit as temperatures reach the high 90s and while there could be possible thunderstorms this weekend, forecasters warned they could produce large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.