NORFOLK, Va — Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina are no longer in a drought.
But according to NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System, areas of western Virginia, like the Shenandoah Valley are still in extreme drought.
Experts at Old Dominion University Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience said the dry conditions in the mountains could lead to runoff conditions in the mountains as Tropical Storm Debby moves into the western part of the commonwealth. The ground is so dry that there's nowhere for the water to go.
Watch: Debby lingers off Carolina Coast, severe risk to parts of Virginia Thursday
But as for Hampton Roads, the focus turns to over-saturation.
"We have been pretty wet, and what we see when we do have a very wet environment, we know that there's not as much space for water to run off," said Jessica Whitehead, the institute's executive director. "That can sometimes lead to flooding. That said, as we've seen, the rainfall a total trend downward, and we know that that's going to happen over a couple of days, it's a little bit more positive for us. That said we'll still need to watch out as we see these heavier bands roll in."
