ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — Farmers in our region may see some light precipitation by the end of this week, but the long-term forecast indicates the Shenandoah Valley and the Piedmont Region may be going into a dry spring.

The National Weather Service 90-day forecast calls for continued drought conditions in Rockingham, Albemarle, and surrounding counties at least through the end of March. Even though our region did see some snowfall in early December, the rest of the month was relatively dry.

The US Drought Monitor forecast calls for persistent drought across major portions of Virginia, the panhandle of West Virginia, and most of Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay.  A winter drought could have a significant impact on farms growing wheat and other small grains, creating challenging conditions as we head into spring.