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More than 60% of Virginia is now experiencing severe drought or worse, marking the state’s most widespread drought since October 2007.
The U.S. Drought Monitor issued the classification on April 16 using data collected through April 14. The drought now exceeds the statewide conditions recorded during dry spells in 2008, 2010, 2023 and 2024.
Fairfax County has not been spared. Most of the county is under moderate drought conditions, while severe drought covers roughly 21% of its southeastern area.
A warm, dry stretch that began in fall 2025 has steadily depleted water supplies and soil moisture. With no significant rainfall in the immediate forecast, conditions are expected to keep deteriorating.
Drought advisories now cover all of Virginia
Every part of Virginia is under either a drought warning or drought watch after the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality expanded its advisories on April 17.
Warnings now cover 83 counties and 31 cities, while watches are in effect for another 12 counties and seven cities.
Fairfax County and the rest of Northern Virginia have been under a drought warning since January, indicating that a significant drought event is imminent. The region had previously been under a drought watch beginning in November.
The expansion followed an April 14 meeting of the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force. The group found below-normal precipitation, streamflow, groundwater and well levels across the state.
Rainfall shortages have been especially pronounced in central and southern Virginia. Soil moisture is far below normal statewide and declined noticeably during the previous two weeks.
Several stream gauges in the Dan, New and Rappahannock river basins have recorded provisional single-day record lows. Groundwater has also fallen across Virginia, with the steepest declines in Northern Virginia, along the Blue Ridge Mountains and near Roanoke.
Unusually high temperatures have accelerated the loss of moisture. The region set a record high for April 15, and most of Virginia was forecast to receive less than one-tenth of an inch of rain during the following week.
The drought has continued despite a major winter storm in late January that brought more than 8 inches of snow and substantial ice. Hardened piles left by the storm lingered in parts of the Washington region into April, but the precipitation was not enough to reverse the longer-term deficit.
The drought task force also discussed procedures for declaring drought emergencies and plans to revisit the issue at its next meeting on April 28.
Residents urged to conserve water and prevent fires
Fairfax County is asking residents to reduce outdoor water use, including lawn watering and car washing. Officials also recommend repairing leaks and running dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.
The prolonged dryness has also increased the risk that a small spark could ignite a serious fire. Residents should never discard cigarette butts in mulch, dry soil or shrubbery, all of which can catch fire easily.
Smoking materials and ashes should be completely soaked with water before disposal. Outdoor smokers should use deep, fireproof ashtrays and empty them into containers holding water and sand rather than directly into trash bags or bins.
Officials also advise against smoking near dry leaves, wood piles, outdoor furniture or anything else that could burn.