Dry Spell Ends With Gentle Rainfall, More Possible

University of Maryland graduate student JoAnn Rudd uses her umbrella for the first time in weeks as she walks to class. (Newsline photo by David Byers)

Newsline Audio Clips: (mp3 files) Some stopped in College Park were happy about the potential for rain. Others were less pleased.

By Arelis Hernandez and David Byers
Maryland Newsline
Friday, Oct. 19, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - No drips. No drops. For nearly 34 days, the absence of rain left much of the area dehydrated as drought conditions worsened across the state.

But the region is about to receive a much-needed drench as forecasters called for thunderstorms late Friday. A light drizzle had developed by mid-morning.

“It’s wonderful,” said Jane Talarico, faculty extension assistant of the Home and Garden Information Center in Ellicott City, about the forecast. “We are excited about the rain, big time. We really need it.”

Though the prediction of a quarter of an inch of rain is not expected to create much of a dent on the drought, Brian LaSorsa, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said anything helps.

“We are not too excited, since river levels have been so low. But it’s a good thing,” LaSorsa said, adding that a large area of high pressure that deflects storm systems from the area is to blame for the long stretch with no rain.

Bob Stumpff, director of public works for the city of College Park, said landscape crews have been working for 30 straight days to keep up with watering city plants.

“We need a constant, steady rain for a steady amount of time, because we are down inches,” Stumpff said.

In fact, a dry summer followed by an even-drier fall has dropped rainfall levels to nearly 11 inches below the average, according to the National Weather Service. Water levels in area lakes and rivers, the main water source for residents, have been reduced considerably, prompting water restrictions in eight counties: Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, St. Mary’s, Somerset and Worcester.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 93 percent of Maryland is officially in a drought, while 63 percent is under a “severe drought.”

Talarico said the lack of rain creates dismal conditions not only for farms, but for home gardens, especially young trees. “People are losing their plants,” she said.

Hyattsville homemaker Thelma Driskell echoed those concerns. “My garden, the grass, everything is drying up, so we need more rain,”said Driskell, as she paced through the spotty rain down Baltimore Avenue.

For farmers across the state, the situation has gone from bad to worse, said Michael Phipps, president of the Maryland Farm Bureau, a lobbying organization for farm families. Phipps said that though the governor’s drought disaster designation for parts of Maryland offers some federal aid, many farmers will become victim to mounting debt.

“Crop yields are down significantly in a number of areas in the state,” Phipps said. “The soybean, corn and vegetable producers have had to constantly irrigate, putting added costs to the operation.”

“We desperately need some moisture in our soil,” said Susan Butler, a manager at Butler’s Orchard in Germantown.

The first signs of Friday's rain on a car parked in College Park. (Newsline photo by David Byers)

Not only has local vegetation suffered, but some residents said they just need more precipitation in their lives.

“I kind of like the noise of the rain,” said JoAnn Rudd, a University of Maryland graduate student, as the rain let up enough for her to close her umbrella on the way to class.  

Some people said they enjoyed the dry weather so much that they became oblivious to the water deficiency. University of Maryland student Nick Carchedi, a senior finance and math major, belatedly realized he was wearing sunglasses in the rain, blaming his wardrobe malfunction on days of perpetual sunshine.

“I wish I had an umbrella,” Carchedi said, “but I’m so used to not having any rain that I take [sunshine] for granted.”

Cindy Hernandez, a University of Maryland family studies major, noted the rain would be "good for the plants and, you know, the environment.” But, she said, as she avoided a puddle on her way to class, "It’s not good when you have to walk around campus.”

Forecasters are still hopeful that in the coming week, cooler temperatures will bring even more rain. But in the meantime, LaSorsa has only one request.

“Try to conserve as much as possible,” he said.

Copyright © 2007 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism

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