West Virginia
Expanding drought conditions stretching to Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – This week’s drought monitor continues to show slowly expanding and deteriorating drought conditions across Western Pennsylvania.
More of Westmoreland and Fayette counties have been added to severe drought levels and Lawrence and Mercer counties have been upgraded from abnormally dry to moderate drought.
The month of September, so far, has not been of any help with regard to the weather pattern after a very erratic summer precipitation pattern. Through Sept. 18, this month is currently the second driest September on record in Pittsburgh with only 0.45″ of rain recorded at the airport.
There is still a week and a half left in the month and with precipitation chances on the way, this stat will likely not hold, but more than likely, this month will end with below-average precipitation.
No measurable precipitation has occurred since Sept. 7, which would make today the 12th day in a row with no measurable precipitation. The longest stretch without any measurable precipitation in Pittsburgh is 26 days from mid-October to early November 1874.
In neighboring Ohio and West Virginia, drought conditions are far worse with widespread “Extreme” and “Exceptional” drought conditions.
For Ohio and West Virginia, this is the first time exceptional drought has been added to these states ever since the Drought Monitor began in 2000. Extreme drought is also not common in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. Since 2000, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have only been in extreme drought four times, while Ohio has only seen extreme drought three times.
Drought is impacting Western Pennsylvania by leading to daily low streamflow rates on our area rivers and creeks.
The following rivers are reporting much below normal (10th percentile) streamflow: Beaver River at Beaver Falls, Youghiogheny River from Friendstown to Oakland, Md., Loyalhanna Creek in Westmoreland County and Monongahela River at Masontown, Pa.
Several stream gauging stations in Ohio and West Virginia are reporting much below and record low daily stream flow. Other impacts from the drought include reduced harvest yields, muted fall foliage, greater water usage and increased wildfire risks.
HURRICANE, W.Va. (WCHS) — A house in Hurricane was deemed a complete loss after a fire on Sunday, the city’s mayor said.
The fire was reported on Tiara Court near Hurricane City Park, according to Hurricane Mayor Scott Edwards.
Edwards said despite the house being deemed a complete loss, no injuries were reported in the blaze.
The scene had responding units from the Hurricane Fire Department, Teays Valley Fire Department, Culloden Fire Department and the Milton Fire Department, as well as Putnam County Emergency Management and Putnam County EMS, according to Edwards.
No other information was immediately available.
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This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
Former St. John’s guard Joson Sanon has committed to West Virginia basketball, he announced on social media Sunday morning.
Sanon (6’5″, 200 pounds) played in 32 games and made 11 starts for the Red Storm last season. He averaged 7.2 points while playing 20.5 minutes per game, shooting 31.5% from the floor and 32.8% from three.
WVU will be Sanon’s third school in three years after he began his time in college at Arizona State. As a Sun Devil, Sanon played in 27 games with nine starts, averaging 11.9 points in 28.2 minutes per game.
Sanon was a consensus top-25 prospect coming out of Vermont Academy in Fall River, Mass.
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West Virginia
Military Retiree Appreciation Day celebrates West Virginia retirees, holds retirement ceremony
KINGWOOD, W.Va (WDTV) – West Virginians who have retired from military service were celebrated at Camp Dawson in Preston County.
Over 300 retirees attended the event. Vendors were there to connect them with veteran support organizations and provide them with information about benefits.
During the event, two West Virginians who served in the military were honored with a retirement ceremony. Christopher McCreary and Mitchell Shaw were joined by friends and family as they received a medal of appreciation for their service.
West Virginia is the first state to hold a Military Retiree Appreciation Day away from an active-duty base. This allows retirees in the state to avoid long-distance travel to active-duty locations in other states.
“They put a lot of dedication, a lot of commitment, unbelievable amount of commitment, and once they retire, it’s hard to cut those strings,” West Virginia Retired Military Council Co-Chair Thomas Goff said. “They’re really wrapped into it. And I think that’s true with any Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force retiree. It’s part of their life. It’s in their blood and you can’t just cut them off, and they’re orphaned out there. They want to stay connected.”
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