SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - A moderate drought had taken hold of Delmarva this spring as people enjoyed weeks of warm and dry conditions. This changed when a deluge arrived this past weekend. Back-to-back storms dropped heavy rain which totaled between three to six inches before all was said and done. The high rain totals have had an impact on local farmers.
When traveling across Sussex County on Monday, it would be hard to find a field that doesn’t contain copious amounts of rainwater. This ponding water brought some farming operations to a halt as farmers must wait until the fields dry out to do planting. Vincent Farms in Laurel informed WRDE that planting that was supposed to take place this week will have to be delayed.
“You’re still probably pushing your operations back two to three days based on what we have seen," Jonah Vincent of Vincent Farms told WRDE.
The good news is that, due to the warmer and drier than average spring so far, many crops had already been planted. Even better news is those crops which are already in the ground, we learned, are not likely to be impacted.
The forecast for the upcoming week, while somewhat showery, should be conducive for drying. Rainfall totals through the end of the week should stay below a quarter of an inch. For the most up-to-date forecast, be sure to download our WRDE Weather app.