People in landscaping and agriculture count on a spring rainfall of 6.8 to 7.4 inches by the end of May. So far, the agriculture department has recorded an average of less than 1 inch statewide.

The National Weather Service is reporting that in Charleston, only 2.1 inches of rain has fallen this month, almost 2 inches below the average for May.

Parkersburg has had only 0.6 of an inch, 3 inches less than usual.

Huntington also has had 3 inches less than its average for the month.

The rest of the state—especially the southern parts of the Eastern Panhandle—is in a similar situation.

The best option might be a method used during the last extreme drought in the 1990s. Then, state officials took advantage of a federal program that allowed them to buy hundreds of 150- to 300-gallon water tanks to fill and transport to those areas in need of hydration.

Source: Charleston Daily Mail