The dry mountains of Virginia

We drove to Roanoke this week from the Carolina coast.  It was hot and humid on the coast, but obviously it has been worse in the Roanoke valley.

Usually our Roanoke yard looks more like this picture.  In the nineteen years we have lived in Roanoke, it has never gotten this dry.

About the only good thing is that the yards don't need mowing.  Since our yard was mostly bluegrass, I am guessing that we will likely have to reseed our yard this fall when the rains come.

Our area in North Carolina along the White Oak River has fared the best of any in the state according to this map.  The week before last we actually had four inches of rain in a couple of days.  Obviously Roanoke hasn't done as well.

The US Drought Map shows that the Southeast is at the heart of the dry conditions. Georgia appears especially dry.

What I know is that I have never seen my yard this dry. Nor have I seen so many other dry yards.

I also read this online at Roanoke.com .

Dangerously low water levels at Smith Mountain Lake led the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to allow a variance in the release of water in Appalachian Power’s Smith Mountain hydroelectric project.

Another article by WDBJ7 indicated that there is no problem at Carvens Cove yet.

As for Carvin's Cove, it is currently down about six feet. You may remember during the drought of 2002, it was more than 34 feet below the spillway and that was a record.

It is one of time of the year that we all start rooting for some rain. The trees are already stressed as many of the Poplars are already shedding leaves. I can still remember the year that the West Virginia forest caught fire.

I am so used to seeing it green in Roanoke that the brown resulting from the drought is really disappointing.

I'll just remember all the green and blue from the area around Emerald Isle until I can get back there again.

There is not much you can do about weather except talk about it.  You know the rains will come, the question is when and will it take a hurricane to break the drought?

Hurricanes are part of the natural cycle of the southeast and provide some much needed moisture at times.  I think we could use one in Roanoke.

 

Comments

[Cocoa]

You have a beautiful blog and I thoroughly enjoy reading about your travels, life perspectives and especially about finding "your" utopia in NC. Do you still have a house in Roanoke? Please keep writing and updating!

[ocracokewaves]

Thanks for your kind comments.

Yes, we still wander back to our place in Roanoke. We actually have yet to make the decision as to where home will be.

Living on the coast is an experiment of two years. We feel fortunate to be able to do it.

We spent endless hours discussing where we want to be for the next ten years.

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Update February 2014 we have been on the coast full time for over two years. We love it. Read about our life near the beaches of Emerald Isle at my coastal blog http://www.crystalcoastlife.com/blog/

[Cocoa]

Ahh, I understand so well that decision of where "home" will be. My husband and I left the NY rat race and landed ourselves in Georgia. Our experiment time is approaching after seventeen months here, and we're still seaching for our destination. Thanks for sharing your adventures. It's always so helpful to read about other's decisions in this relocation process.