By Rick Steelhammer, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — By the time an unusually dry September drew to a close, moderate drought had spread across the southern half of West Virginia, leaving water flow in some streams at volumes more than 75 percent below long-term median flow.
All official climate monitoring sites in the state recorded less than 1 inch of rain during September and, as of Monday, Huntington, Beckley and Clarksburg were on track to set new historic rainfall records for the month.
The drought left the Greenbrier River at Durbin flowing at a rate of 3.06 cubic feet per second on Monday, compared to its long-term median rate of 30.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Downstream at Hilldale, in Summers County, Monday’s volume of 43.7 cubic feet per second was about one-fourth the median flow rate for the site. …
