This fall has brought another remarkable weather turnaround. After raining for 15 of the 30 days in September for a total of 5.82 inches - the fourth rainiest September since 1881 - October has been dry as a bone. Rainfall for the first half of October has been immeasurable, a mere trace.
The fall of 2009 was just about the opposite, with a warm and sunny September followed by a cold and soggy October. Given a choice between the two, this year's fall has been far more agreeable.
Granted, the rainy September slowed down the harvest some, but the favorable weather now is allowing time to catch up. Last year, many fields remained unharvested through the winter. The recent warm and sunny weather has even allowed for some rare autumn evaporation, which has helped dry the topsoil, helping ease the fear of a third consecutive severe spring flood season.
Of course, there is a long way to go before we should be making spring flood predictions, but any good sign is, well, good.
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