Weekend rain could bring more relief to Eastern Shore drought conditions

Drought conditions have improved significantly across the Eastern Shore of Virginia following several weeks of wetter weather, and additional rainfall expected from Friday through Sunday could provide further relief in Accomack and Northampton counties.

The National Weather Service in Wakefield said in its latest Drought Information Statement that multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms have produced above-normal rainfall across much of eastern Virginia during the past 30 days. Drought conditions have improved by one to two categories across much of the region over the past four weeks.

About one-third of the broader Wakefield forecast area remains in moderate to severe drought, although conditions are considerably better than they were earlier this summer.

The recent rainfall has also helped crops and pastures across eastern Virginia, while 28-day average streamflows have returned to normal levels across most river basins in the region.

More rain is expected on the Eastern Shore heading into the weekend.

The latest local forecast calls for a chance of showers Friday, followed by a much wetter period Friday night and Saturday. Rainfall of a quarter to a half-inch is possible Friday night, with another quarter to half-inch possible Saturday. Additional showers and thunderstorms are possible Saturday night and again Sunday.

That would provide at least roughly a half-inch to an inch of additional rainfall in areas receiving the more persistent showers, with locally higher totals possible in thunderstorms.

The additional rain would come at a favorable time for the Eastern Shore, where dry conditions have persisted despite the recent improvement.

Virginia continues to maintain a drought warning for much of central and eastern Virginia.

Looking farther ahead, the National Weather Service says additional drought improvement is probable during the next several months. Drought conditions could continue to diminish or end by late October if the recent wetter pattern persists.

There is no clear indication, however, that September and October will be wetter than normal, and above-normal temperatures are favored through the end of October.

For Accomack and Northampton counties, the overall trend is encouraging: recent rain has eased drought stress, and another round of weekend rainfall could push conditions further toward normal.