Woody, I wish! Here in the desert Southwest, our rain last week was zero. Our total rainfall the past month was 1.3". The total this YEAR is 3.1". And we're in our summer monsoon season which is the only time we get rain at all!

Our rain gauge measures to 0.01" and maxes out at 1". I think that says it all.

Cheryl

here in reno we've had 5 inches precipitation in two years-the weather service no longer has words to describe the drought.

Most people here are happy we haven't had much rain in the last month or so because of the extremely wet spring. However, the garden is starting to get a bit dry, so I'm sure I will have to water soon - only the 2nd or 3rd time this year I've used my hose. I think we're close to an inch below normal for the month of July.

I've been noticing this trend in recent years of lots and lots of rain early in the year and then come midsummer it stops and we get very, very dry. I hope this isn't one of those years.

It's kind of amazing to see all the green grass right now. Usually it's pretty crispy dry by this time.

Kevin

We're just about on target for the normal month's rain here; plus we get the added benefit of some periodic fog from the lake. Gardens are jungle-like and lawns are good and green. It's been on the cool side; only 68o now. Have used the AC for only one 24 hr. period when we actually hit 90 with some uncomfortable humidity. That's a rarity for us.

I've only had to water once this entire gardening season.
Yesterday the forecast was for potentially severe thunderstorms so we skipped the minor league baseball game we were planning on going to. Of course, it didn't rain until the night but when it finally did, a full inch according to my gauge.

The only problem is I just realized yesterday my Helenium 'Mardi Gras' is covered with powdery mildew, due to the high humidity we've been experiencing. It's never happened before and it's the only plant that has it. Ah well.

I haven't gotten outside to the rain gauge yet, but we had rain come through this morning that came down in torrents and I'll bet we had at least 3 inches. We also had thunder and lightening really close by and a tornado warning, which is very unusual for our location. A local town about 7 miles away actually had a tornado touch down briefly, taking the roof off a few buildings, bringing down trees and turning over cars. Still haven't finished reporting all the damage or what category of tornado it was. My DH had to go down to the garage in his office building for the warning for about a half hour, but luckily ended up with just wind and lots of flooding rain.

I'm happy to see this kind of downpour. We have been watering in a circuit around the yard for the past couple of weeks, with not enough rain, so this will replenish the soil.

We rarely get this much rain in July either.

Prairie - I must be a bit west of you. We also have had several blessed downpours since yesterday. And I had an email alert just before 5pm to shelter in place in the lowest room of the house (tornado warning). Fortunately, got the all-clear email within 10 minutes. I'm still hoping for a little more rain tonight. The clouds often seem to part, and go around my town!

a2zmom,

I've always admired your photos of Helenium Mardi Gras, in fact all your photos. Mine have had powdery mildew all season and last season as well. I was wondering if there was something I was doing (or not doing) to cause this. Do you just leave it to chance or do you have a method that mitigates it?

Thanks,

Judy

One heavy thunderstorm here yesterday and two today with torrential downpours of rain here where I am 2 mi south of the MA state line. Neighbor asked me to water her containers while she was away last week and I only had to do it 4 out of 6 days thanks to frequent t-storms. Warning about hail yesterday so I quick pulled the car inside the garage just before the skies opened up. No hail yesterday but today's t-storms brought hail. And no, there was no weather warning about hail today and car wasn't inside garage.

Weeds--and perennials--are very happy with favorable growing conditions this year (i.e., cooler temperatures & plentiful rain). Perennials are mature after 6-8 years in the ground and most are blooming machines this year. Guess I should make a note in my garden diary.

Judy, I planted my Helenium 'Mardi Gras' in 2011 and this is the first year I;d had mildew. I assume its because the humidity has been off the charts. However, both my phlox are fine as is a Helenium 'Red and Gold' that's located in a different bed.

I'll have to decide what to do next year - I might try thinning out the stand a bit.

LLadySlipper, Yes, we usually feel the showers are hitting everywhere except our little postage stamp, too. [g] This time we had two inches yesterday and another three today, and our garden can use it all. Glad you had rain too.

Gardenweed, that is something we rarely get is hail. The few times itâÂÂs happened was no fun at all. Amazing how much damage it can do.

While Kevin and I are both in the Minneapolis area we can have different results with rainfall. I have not had to water at all this year. Last week thought I would need to drag out the hoses but had 3/4 inch rain that night. With cool temps this week and some cloudy days we might make it to Sunday when rain is expected.

My front garden has two maple trees and a large fir tree so plants in those areas are always competing for water. This year the amount of each rainfall has even kept those plants happy with extra growth and bloom.

I am actually wanting some drier weather to do some digging. Too much ground moisture to redo a portion of one bed and to add onto another at this time. Even too wet to renew the edging.

Also pleased to say that butterflies are back. Not as plentiful as years way past but more numerous than the last few years. They add so much with their bright colors and swooping and flittering motion as they chase each other around.

aachenelf, here in Kansas City I've also noticed the pattern you describe of rainy weather until summer and then dry. Our normals are:

June: 5.23"
July: 4.45"
August: 3.89"

Lately we've been likely to exceed the June total and then fall far short in July and August. This year it's been:

June: 6.91"
July: 3.04" (dry since 7/14)

That pattern is one of the main reasons I've been moving away from a fescue lawn toward natives. Fescue just takes way too much effort/money in years like that.

woodstea I use that same reasoning, the challenge is to find xeric or drought tolerant plants that will take the wet periods, many have proved to be tolerant, others not. I rarely irrigate anymore but the street is lined with fescue lawns and water sucking plants so its a drop in the bucket on the waste issue. They started fining people for illegal watering here and the lines paying were long. One thing is for sure, we will always have those hot dry summers even if this one isn't.

Jaedite, I checked last night and it looks like NM is getting rain in areas, does the mountain, altitude etc play into why you don't get any when Albuquerque does? It looked like Albuquerque is forecasting some chances and even had some nuisance flooding recently. If its raining that close and I wasn't getting any, I think I'd start crying. A couple years ago we were in a kind of doughnut hell-hole where it would rain all around us and we got missed every time all summer long. I keep checking the maps on the drought to see the large scale picture, Texas is getting some relief and so is Colorado. Our lakes are in much better shape than they were but parts of Okla are still in the drought zone in varying degrees, especially the west part.

One of the best parts of the drought relief is wantanamara is able to take regular showers again without feeling like a guilty water glutton because her tanks are finally full again.

Are you getting rain down in the Cities now, Kevin? This wasn't in the forecast, but rain events come up without warning out of the blue here. Bit of a downpour with just a light rain now. I'm a in a peculiar rain/snow belt - a few blocks in any direction and there's nothing.

There are a few dark clouds out here, but nothing falling yet. Just took a look at the radar and there are a few showers approaching, but it shouldn't amount to anything more than brief sprinkles. Nothing major in the forecast for at least the next week.

Kevin

Tex, we got a grand total of 0.02" overnight, when the weather forecast had an 80% probability of rain, with predictions of 0.5". Coming home tonight, I drove through torrential rain coming down like a waterfall in the center of town, to arrive home 10 miles away where it is bone dry. Not a drop fell all day.

Yes, the mountains create microclimates. We've had pouring rain at our front door while the back yard stays dry. It's enough to drive a gardener crazy. It may be time for human sacrifice.

Our water usage this past month was 10,000 gallons. We also used over 2000 gallons from our water tanks from the 1.2" that fell.

Cheryl

jadeite, I think I read somewhere that if you hang pack rat carcasses all along your fence its supposed to attract rain. You might want to throw in a bear for extra insurance.

Thats the pits. You have my condolences.

Its also UNFAIR.

Storms have been incredibly scattered here.

1.5" this month in 1/3" increments, which temporarily wets the mulch and the first couple inches of soil at most.

I'd rater get the 1.5" at once so it penetrates more than 6" of soil.

July has been my arch nemesis the last few years.

2012 = 0.5"
2013 = 1"
2014 = 1.5"

At least we moving in the right direction but the last three years combined don't even get us to one average July, which is close to 4" and one of our wettest months of the year.

Luckily July has been fairly cool and June was a wet month.

"if you hang pack rat carcasses all along your fence its supposed to attract rain. You might want to throw in a bear for extra insurance"

Thanks for the laugh and condolences. I can hear thunder, a LONG way away. Somewhere someone is getting rain. Pity it's not us.

Cheryl

WE have had .46 " here this month but every so often we get a bit of rain. In Austin , 30 miles away they had 7" a little more than a week ago. 1 1/2 miles away got 1.3" so things change very quickly around here. WE are 10" below normal where other areas around here are above for the year. That said, because of the extreme water diet we were on, we were able to fill our 20,000 gallons with the bits and pieces of rain that we got.

Below is a picture of what happens when there is a downpour and the water can't get out through the overflow spout fast enough and backs up the pipe. Our 3,000 sq ' roof of our shop is a butterfly roof and drains into 10 feet of pipe. . They become a waterfall right over our door. It does not happen to often. One way to keep the Jehova Witness away. Cold showers abound here. I can now not stand down wind from you with confidence.

{{gwi:248507}}