Maybe rain headed our way????

[CathyA]

We've never had a drought like this before. Its a bit scary. My garden is doing okay, but I have to water it every other day.
Some perennials have closed up shop. The trees are looking sad.
But..........(and maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up again, just to have them dashed), but its supposed to rain for several days starting tomorrow night!
I suppose now we'll get TOO much rain.
The city close to here is going to start emergency water conservation measures. Keep your fingers crossed that the places that need rain, finally get some.
How are you doing in your neck of the woods? Are you too dry?

[ApatheticNoMore]

When you first mentioned not getting any rain yet this summer, I was kinda shocked and amazed that anyone anywhere (except the opposite hemisphere or maybe the Pacific Northwest) would expect any rain in the *summer*! Rain past May is normal most places? :0! Hope you get rain though.

[Float On]

We've been way too dry...we had a blessed bit of rain on Sunday and need more. I haven't mowed since the first week in June.


http://average-rainfall-cities.findthedata.org/l/139/Springfield

This is kind of a neat site to view average rainfall over last 30 years.
We get rain year round ANM. Being this dry is drought conditions for sure.

[CathyA]

We just got put into the "extreme" drought category. I wonder.......when cities put water usage restrictions on, and say you can't water your lawns.........do they mean gardens too? that would be a bummer.
I'm on a well.

[Float On]

CathyA, I think they mean any outdoor watering. Part of our town is under restirctions and they put up notices where even number houses can water M/W/F and odd number can water T/TH/Sat. My area still has no restrictions and it almost sickens me to see some of the people watering morning to night.

[pinkytoe]

Watering restrictions are a way of life here in central TX. Our Stage 2 restriction has just been lifted which only allowed once a week - mornings and evenings only. We can now water twice a week. I think the city was worried about tree canopy if they were too restrictive. The grass can go but not the trees. We have had two days of wonderful rain and mild temps for here. Perhaps we are trading weather?

[peggy]

Still dry here. No rain in sight. Screw the grass, I'm keeping my trees alive!

Will do a rain dance for you Cathy.:cool:

[razz]

Still dry here. No rain in sight. Screw the grass, I'm keeping my trees alive!

Will do a rain dance for you Cathy.:cool:

Can you dance a little longer or louder so that southern Ontario gets some rain as well, please. My rain dancing has not been working too well.
Two days ago the forecast was for about an inch on Friday or Saturday, now it is down to a only risk of showers:(

[Tweety]

Here in northern Indiana farmers have given up on the corn crop and are baling the sad remnants for hay. My creek dried up several weeks ago (first time in about 25 years) and I've had to put out extra pans of water for the birds after a male robin started hanging out in the bird bath and chasing all the others away. Shrubs are looking crispy and my lawn (snicker) is a dust bowl as are most around here. The occasional green lawn sticks out like a sore thumb! I water the garden daily but the raspberry harvest was slim and is over already, while the tomato blossoms are frying on the vine. Who knew that tomatoes won't set fruit when it gets this hot?
Ther may be some rain on Sunday, guess what we will be praying for?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Who knew that tomatoes won't set fruit when it gets this hot?

I find that wierd as well since the things are native to latin america right (where they are actually a periennial crop). Although I don't know about the hybridization. I rather doubt it has been hot enough here yet to kill them.

[CathyA]

I had problems last year when it was so hot for awhile, that my roma pole beans wouldn't set fruit.
Fortunately, my tomato plants started growing tomatoes before the horrible heat started, so they're there, but growing very slowly. If we could just get a good rain, the whole garden would just pop!

[CathyA]

Well dangit. Now they're saying we'll probably miss it all again. This is getting scary. Its very strange not having any control over something like this.

[Tussiemussies]

Sorry CathyA, hope you DO get some rain soon...

[RosieTR]

Yes, tomatoes won't set fruit if it's too hot. What "too hot" is depends on the variety. My tomatoes were happy as clams in June with the temps hovering near 100F almost every day, but they blossomed and blossomed and wouldn't set fruit. Finally I got some "fruit set" (a plant hormone) and now it's like upper 80s every day. We got more rain in the first week of July than in the whole month of June, plus after the first few days it's been a bit cooler. I hope July turns around for you too, CathyA! Where in the country are you? I'm northern CO, which I think is in "extreme" or maybe "exceptional extreme" drought. You can tell which farmers have access to irrigation and which don't, and I think all but 2 counties are drought disasters or something in CO. So far though, no water restrictions for suburbia here but I think that's b/c winter of 2010/2011 was a bumper water year so the reservoirs started out full. I put in a more water-friendly yard after the drought of 2002, so only have had to water the garden and a bit in the backyard. However, for the first time I have ever heard of the river north of us was expected to go dry by mid-July. It did rain, though, but the water feeds from the area where the High Park fire burned so it wound up running black with ash. Ugh. At least it rained, though. I hope it does for you, soon! The drought pics are so sad, and drought is one of those natural disasters that are just sort of grinding because they go on and on.

[iforonwy]

Please dance as much as possible so that here in the UK it stops raining! Lots of places are under water and the crops are rotting in the fields. We live in a holiday area and business are suffering because tourists are either staying away or cutting their holidays short. On the garden front soft fruit is rotting and/or not ripening. However, I have had a good crop of blackcurrants, about 2 pounds from one bush and the potatoes did well as is the rhubarb.

It's all down to the Jet Stream it is sitting too far south this year and so our little islands are sitting in the middle of a permanent low weather system.

Quick! there is something strange in the sky - could it be the SUN!!!!

[CathyA]

Rosie......I'm in central Indiana. Thanks for your rain wishes!
Some people got rain yesterday, but it went around us......just by about 10 miles in each direction. I'm getting a complex!
We got nothing. In the past, we had very damaging ice storms, so I decided to focus on things closer to the ground......like perennials/bushes/watergardens.
The drought is doing a number on them, and I just can't keep watering them. I'm focusing on the garden, but I think its starting to get stressed too. And it started out as the best garden ever, in 36 years. Plus, the moles love to go where I water, and they're ruining some of the plants. Oh well. S**t happens.
I do worry about our woods burning down. Hopefully, this too shall pass..........finger's crossed.
Good luck to everyone........whether you're having drought or torrential rains!

[Miss Cellane]

I wish we could send some of our rain your way, Cathy. We're due for another inch this afternoon, via a thunderstorm.

Here in New England, many places were facing the threat of drought early this spring, mostly because of the extremely low snowfall over the past winter. But we've had more than enough rain to fill the reservoirs.

My cousins out in South Dakota, who have a large farm, are irrigating a lot. Fortunately, the farm is on a river, so they have water. Of course, other years, the rivers flood, and they have to deal with fields that are under water for a long time. Farmers don't have it easy, no matter what the weather is like.

[artist]

It's getting bad here. The lawn is brown and is now starting to feel crunchy. Dh is watering just a little to keep it from dying completely. I don't expect to see green again until spring. No veggies this year other than two squash plants, which seem to be doing ok for now.

[frugal-one]

This truly is frightening! We have not had rain in 8 weeks. As in IN, the corn here is nonexistent. The paper stated the fish are dying in the rivers here due to lack of oxygen (never heard of that!). Sure hope this is a freak year and not a sign of things to come!!!!

[CathyA]

It IS scary frugal-one. Just imagine if it IS a trend. :(

[bunnys]

Hopefully, this too shall pass..........finger's crossed.


It will pass.

[Tussiemussies]

We just got a little bit of rain tonight but not enough to really do much of anything. Hope we all get a good drenching soon!

[Merski]

Rain this morning in Central Mass! Woo-Hoo!! Last weekend's rain skirted above and below us.:cool: