With all the recent rains, it s almost as if a new growing season has started. Wild onions are popping up as if it were April and grass that was dormant in July is as green as in early June. Autumn colors are also going to be affected by the recent rains. Leaves that had already started to turn at this time last year are still green and healthy. Because of this renewed growth, fall foliage should be extremely beautiful this year, but colors will peak at least a week later than normal.
Statistics are strange animals.
With all the rains we have had recently, it will appear to someone who checks the record books 100 years from now that we had normal precipitation in 1999. After September s rainfall, we are almost exactly on course to have our average 43 inches of precipitation this year. It s not how much rain we get, however, it s when we get it. My tomato crop can attest to that. So can any number of my fellow farmers with half-empty haylofts.