WOAY-TV (Oak Hill, WV): While southern West Virginia is slowly making up for lack of rainfall this month in the final two weeks of July, it’s a different story in the eastern Panhandle.
While all 55 counties in West Virginia are in a State of Emergency due to the drought, the eastern Panhandle has been hit the hardest. Ronald Higson, owner of Higson’s Farm in Wiley Ford (Mineral County), said, “It’s probably one of the driest years I’ve seen. I’ve farmed all my life, ’88, I think, and ’87 were two very dry years. Back in the late 80s, we decided to go buying irrigation, so that helps some but the farm is large and needs a lot of water.”
Has he seen loss of crops or revenue from the drought disaster? “The sweet corn, not so much, but the field corn is suffering pretty good from it,” said Higson.
As for rainfall, “So, we got about four tenths of an inch of rain last week and we had four tenths two weeks before that; it helps. When it gets as dry as it is now, it takes a lot more rain,” said Higson.
Leaves are changing color and falling off the trees in Mineral County due to heat and drought stress.
The records prove it; the first half of the summer through July 28th, is the second driest on record for that area with only 2.45 inches of rain.
Of course, we will continue to follow the drought trends here in West Virginia going forward through the rest of the summer and, of course, into the fall season.
