Drought Rapidly Intensifies in Portions of the Mid-Atlantic

U.S. Drought Monitor map of the Mid-Atlantic. Extreme Drought is present in southern Virginia, with Severe Drought in Virginia and parts of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

Key Points

Drought has rapidly intensified in Virginia and portions of West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania since late March. Extreme Drought (D3) was introduced in southern Virginia. Severe Drought (D2) expanded to cover most of Virginia, eastern West Virginia, and portions of Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania. West Virginia went from having no Severe Drought (D2) in the state last week to 41% of the state in Severe Drought (D2) this week. In the past 4 weeks, the percent area of Virginia in Severe Drought (D2) increased from 25% to 92%. Moderate Drought (D1) expanded in parts of all six Mid-Atlantic states, particularly West Virginia.

Over the past 30 days, much of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Delaware, New Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania received less than 75% of normal precipitation. The driest locations, including parts of southern and eastern Virginia, saw less than 25% of normal precipitation. Temperatures in much of the region were more than 6°F above normal.

Streamflow conditions over the past two weeks were much-below normal or record low in many of these locations. This included parts of the Potomac River Basin, which supplies water to the District of Columbia, and the Dan, New, and Rappahannock River Basins in Virginia. Similarly, as of April 21, groundwater levels continued to decline, with record low levels present in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey. In an April 14 report, Virginia officials noted that the “primary recharge window is now ending.” Soil moisture was also notably reduced across parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Aided by persistently above-normal temperatures, the growing season started early in many locations. Reports from Virginia and West Virginia indicated slow pasture growth, buying/feeding hay, and hauling water for livestock tied to dry conditions. Issues with corn growth and wheat development were also noted.

Several counties or municipalities in Virginia and Pennsylvania have instituted burn bans.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Prediction Center (CPC)’s 6-10 day outlook favors above-normal precipitation and near-normal temperatures for the Mid-Atlantic, except for the northwestern part of the region, where below-normal temperatures are favored. The 8-14 day outlook shows below-normal temperatures, while the wet pattern is expected to continue across the southern part of the region.

The NWS CPC’s seasonal drought outlook (valid April 16–July 31, 2026) favors drought persistence for nearly all areas of the Mid-Atlantic that are currently in drought (D1-D4), which includes most of Virginia, southern and eastern West Virginia, the District of Columbia, much of Maryland and New Jersey, northern Delaware, and southern and eastern Pennsylvania.

Precipitation

30-day percent of normal precipitation ranged from less than 25% in parts of Virginia to over 150% in northwest Pennsylvania. Source: Applied Climate Information System (ACIS).

Streamflows

Record low 7-day streamflows are present in West Virginia, Maryland, southeast Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia. Source: USGS Water Data for the Nation (via the Northeast DEWS dashboard)

For More Information

Learn more about current drought conditions in the region from the Northeast Regional Climate Center and the Northeast DEWS Dashboard.

For more information:

Find state, county, and/or local drought information from the Location pages on drought.gov. Explore drought data and maps, historical information, outlooks, and more at various levels.
National Drought Mitigation Center Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR)
Submit or view reports.
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center
NOAA's National Weather Service Drought Information Statements

We Need Your Reports!

As conditions evolve, accurate reports on conditions and drought impacts are critical to accurately assess what parts of the region are in drought and what parts are not. Whether your area is currently wet, close to normal, or dry, please consider reporting conditions and any drought impacts you see or hear via the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) from the National Drought Mitigation Center. If you are already a CoCoRaHS observer, we encourage you to submit a Condition Monitoring Report.

News and Events

The Mid-Atlantic Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Strategic Planning Meeting

The Mid-Atlantic Drought Early Warning System Strategic Planning Meeting was held April 9, 2026 at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center in Catonsville, Maryland, and it was a huge success! Over 55 people attended to discuss drought information needs in the region that will help inform the Mid-Atlantic DEWS Strategic Plan. Look out for a meeting summary to be released soon!

Join the Northeast Regional Climate Center Monthly Webinar Series

The Northeast Regional Climate Center, which covers the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic DEWS regions, hosts a monthly webinar to address timely weather and seasonal topics. The next webinar will be Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. ET. The webinar will feature a review of April conditions and highlight the NRCC’s Forest Climate Indicators tool. The webinars are recorded and are available within a week after the live webinar. To receive notifications about upcoming webinars, email nrcc@cornell.edu. Register >

Join the 2026 National Soil Moisture Workshop in Asheville, North Carolina

The 17th annual National Soil Moisture Workshop is scheduled for June 9–11, 2026. The event will take place in Asheville, North Carolina and will be hosted by NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, the USDA Forest Service, and the Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies (CISESS). This workshop is a core component of work conducted by the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network (NCSMMN). This gathering provides opportunities for learning and collaboration among researchers, data users, and network operators from the soil moisture community. Activities will include two days of presentations and discussion, followed by a field day. The deadline for in-person registration is April 30, 2026. Learn more >

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Subscribe to the National Integrated Drought Information System's Mid-Atlantic DEWS list to receive drought status updates, webinars, and other drought news for the region. Or, subscribe to NIDIS's bi-weekly newsletter, Dry Times, for national news, drought research, and events.

The Mid-Atlantic DEWS is a collaborative federal, regional, state, and local interagency effort to improve drought early warning capacity and build long-term drought resilience throughout the region. The Mid-Atlantic DEWS currently includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. For more information, contact Elizabeth Ossowski at elizabeth.ossowski@noaa.gov or Crystal Stiles at crystal.stiles@noaa.gov.

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is an interagency program within the Climate Program Office, which is part of NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.