Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010056
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's been a summer of contrasts - a June as wet as a soapy dishrag, and an August as dry and hot as a fireplace poker.
In Roanoke, in fact, it was the driest August since the National Weather Service began keeping records about 75 years ago.
These weather extremes might make for easy sidewalk conversation, but for the region's farmers, they can mean worry and lost revenue. Although early summer rains helped temper the damage, a saunalike August has turned cattle pastures brown, made dairy cattle lethargic and stunted crop growth.
During the summer, Virginia depends mainly on thunderstorms for its rainfall. Any all-day, soaking rains generally come from the remnants of tropical storms moving up the coast, such as the rain that fell on the Roanoke region last weekend from the remains of Tropical Storm Jerry, state climatologist Pat Michaels explained.
The problem in August was an unusually long-lasting ridge in the jet stream and an accompanying high-pressure system closer to the ground. That kept the cold fronts that produce summertime thunderstorms from moving into the state, Michaels said.
It rained five times in August in the Roanoke Valley for a total of only 0.74 inch. The valley typically gets 4.15 inches of rain in August.
The New River Valley fared a little better, getting 1.9 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. But other regions of Virginia were worse off. Counties to the southwest and east didn't get the rain the Roanoke region did Sunday. Less rain has fallen in Charlottesville than in Roanoke this month - 0.65 inch.
As for the heat, the Roanoke Valley had temperatures of 90 or hotter on 20 days in August and hit the 100-degree mark Aug. 14. The New River Valley had only four days hotter than 90 degrees.
County extension agents say the heat and lack of rain have dried out pastures in Western Virginia, where the primary source of farm income is livestock. Unable to use their pastures, some farmers have had to start feeding their animals, something they normally wouldn't do until winter.
The region's farmers also raise corn, which they harvest mostly as silage for livestock feed. The ears on corn planted late in the season are not filling out as they should because of the lack of water, said Joe Hunnings, Montgomery County's extension agent. Hunnings said some farmers are talking about selling their cattle earlier than normal because their pastures no longer can support them.
Last Sunday's rain was a "lifesaver," helping bring pastures back, but temperatures are back in the 90s and more rain is needed, Franklin County Extension Agent Louis Schiemann said.
The lack of rain also stunted the size of the county's apples, Schiemann said. Because of the hot weather, the red apples among the county's 800-acre crop are not taking on their color, he said.
But Mark Ikenberry of Ikenberry Orchards in Botetourt County, a few dozen miles to the north, said the weather has not hurt his family's 225-acre apple crop that much. The nights have been cool enough there that the color of apples hasn't suffered.
As the temperatures have risen, dairy farmers in the region have seen milk production drop.
In Bedford County, where there are 28 Grade A dairies, cows that normally would produce 70 pounds of milk a day dropped to 50 pounds during August, county agent Spencer Tinsley said. Farmers have been running fans and sometimes water mist machines in their barns to keep their cattle cool, he said.
None of the agents said farmers are facing a crisis. "There was so much rain in June, it lasted a pretty good while," Schiemann said. Despite the dry August, Roanoke still has received more precipitation than normal for the year to date.
The dry period has not lasted long enough to cause a depletion of ground water supplies, as occurs in a drought, climatologist Michaels said. The lack of rain has been a problem mostly for farmers; those whose planting was delayed by wet weather have suffered the most, he said.
Michaels noted that the end of the summer is near, days are getting shorter and the high evaporation rates caused by high temperatures and clear skies soon will cease to be a concern.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***