CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The drought that has plagued the Deep South for more than a year is creeping northward, and officials in multiple states are restricting outdoor burning in the face of water shortages and forest-fire risks from falling leaves and tinder-dry conditions.
Extreme drought conditions, the second- worst possible, have spread into Kentucky, and severe conditions have returned to West Virginia and southwestern Virginia, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
“The last three months have sucked every bit of moisture we’ve had,” said Ben Webster, a fire staff assistant for the West Virginia Division of Forestry.
In eastern Kentucky, retailers are sending bottled water to Magoffin County after its primary water source, the Licking River, fell to low levels and residents were told to conserve tap water. The county’s school system is serving meals on disposable plates with plastic utensils. Lunch trays have been temporarily shelved to save on dishwashing.
Kentucky also suffered through a severe drought a year ago, but “this is probably the worst that I’ve had to deal with,” said Joe Hunley, Magoffin County’s schools superintendent.
Outdoor burning has been banned outright in 34 Kentucky counties and limited to between 4 p.m. and 7 a.m. in West Virginia.
West Virginia officials want to avoid years like 2001, when 86,465 acres burned during the October-December period, or 2006, when 1,022 fires were reported.
“The problem with a drought in the fall is as the leaves start to come down, if you have continued dry weather, the fire threats go up,” said Mark Pellerito, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Charleston.
Elsewhere in the South, however, a lack of water remains the main concern.
Tennessee and South Carolina worry Atlanta may look to the nearby Tennessee or Savannah rivers for relief.
Meanwhile, Georgia, Alabama and Florida have fought over how much water can be stored in northern Georgia lakes.
