CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There does not seem to be an immediate end to the abnormally dry forecast and warm temperatures seen in southern West Virginia over the past few weeks.
A high-pressure system is continuing to bring the conditions in the mid to upper 80s through the end of the workweek.
“Much of southern West Virginia is listed as abnormally dry,” Simone Lewis, National Weather Service Charleston meteorologist told MetroNews. “There is a moderate drought across the very southern portion such as McDowell and Wyoming counties.”
The first chance of precipitation comes early next week with a cold front but Lewis said she would not expect much.
“There’s a cold front that is going to come in around Tuesday and Wednesday,” she said. “That is going to bring some participation to us but that is going to be pretty short-lived.”
The cooler mornings expected next week could help with the delay of fall foliage across the state. Fall begins on the calendar September 21 but Lewis said the conditions have affected the leaves changing colors.
“That does stress out the vegetation and I know that’s why a lot of the trees in the area are losing leaves,” Lewis said. “If you notice a lot of them are turning brown and just falling off.”
This is what happens after weeks of hot and dry wx with some cool mornings sprinkled in: Some yellowing/browning of foliage along with some premature turning of a few varieties of red maple. #wvwx #kywx #ohwx pic.twitter.com/v7JobPFL15
— NWS Charleston, WV (@NWSCharlestonWV) September 16, 2019