Rain falling on ground

Farmers were happy about the rain falling across the valley Monday.

Experts say it's been a dry spring so far and that planters depend on these inches of rainfall to get their crops going. The National Drought Monitor has about 60% of Virginia under abnormally dry conditions. This is up from a year ago when nearly 40% of the state was under the same condition.

T'ai Roulston, Curator and Research Associate Professor at the Blandy Experimental Farm, explained, "Any people growing garden crops or things like that, it's going to help speed up their growth and make a lot of floral resources available. So it's great to finally get some rain."

Locally, as of the end of April, our area was four inches behind in rainfall compared to the average amount usually seen. With up to two inches expected by tomorrow night, the deficit will be cut down.

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