The Drought's Still Here

We need rain, or better yet, a good snow of about 10 - 12 inches or more that would all soak into the ground as it melted. All the good stuff seems to go up the west side of the mountains into the Ohio Valley and the Northeast. Only a few light showers make it over the mountains.

That said, we finally got a decent rain last night. I don't know how much, but everything is wet this morning. Unfortunately, the chance for more rain this week is slim, the same way it has been for months. A thirty percent chance of showers won't solve the problem.

The 90 day extended forecast is calling for below normal rainfall. This is not good at the beginning of a new growing season leading into the drier months of summer. The whole southeastern United States is still suffering from drought. Virginia is in good shape compared to some of our southern neighbors. You can see how bad things are by looking at this map.

We haven't lacked for gray, gloomy weather. Yesterday was a good example. It was dark enough all day to need lights on inside. But we never got more than a few drizzles. It did not do much for my case of February blahs.

The gray gloomies were better than last Sunday's weather. We had high winds and very low humidity. The humidity was so low that even a little spark started a fire. The winds brought down powerlines which started hundreds of fires. The western part of Virginia was hit the worst, but there were fires in this area, too. Several of the fires burned for days. It took days to get everyone's power back on.

I have to say that I was oblivious to all of this until I read the news that evening and the next day. I knew advisories were out for high winds and fire danger. It did get windy here and the lights blinked a few times. But the biggest problem here was a total exchange of leaves. The leaves in my yard are definitely not the ones that were here ten days ago. And all the places that collect leaves need to be raked again. I was lucky.

Today we are on the upward swing of the weather yo-yo. It is already in the 50s and is supposed to get into the 60s before the day is over. I won't be surprised if it gets warmer.

The grass has a greenish tinge this morning after last night's warmth and good rain. Everything was looking very brown and gray yesterday. The daffodils on the sunny side of the house will bloom soon if we keep getting these very warm days. The buds are already out, but still wrapped tightly. It will be good to see Mother Nature's colors again.

Update 10:45 AM: Wow, we really did have a good rain last night! I just stepped out on the back porch and could hear the waterfall. That is the first time I have done that in months. I know it won't last, but it was nice to hear it again. The temperature is already in the 60s. But the forecast says a cold front will start dropping the temperature by this afternoon. The sun is shining, so it's going to be a good day!