While Maryland residents may be enjoying the sunny, crisp fall weather around the state, the lack of rainfall has some farmers and meteorologists worried.
National Weather Service meteorologist Chesnea Skeen explained that precipitation in Maryland so far this month is 2.5 inches below normal. So far, just over a third of an inch of rain has fallen in October, with the normal average for the month being 2.73 inches.
As of Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed Howard County was the only county in the state not experiencing excessive drought. The drought monitor classifies drought into levels from D0 to D5, with D1 starting to be considered a drought and D0 just being an abnormal drought. All other counties in Maryland face D0 or above conditions.
In the Baltimore area, Harford was the most affected, with 20% of its total area in D1 drought conditions and 80% in D0 conditions. Anne Arundel County has 81% of its area in the D0 category, followed by Baltimore County and Baltimore City, with 73% and 53% respectively. Carroll County has the lowest degree of abnormal drought, with 34% of the land in D0 status.
“I don't remember it being this dry… because we're in the fall now,” Hans Schmidt, assistant secretary for resource conservation at the Maryland Department of Agriculture and a farmer himself, told The Baltimore Sun. This is the driest place I have ever seen.
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While farmers may be able to complete their spring and summer harvests quickly without any rainfall disruption, Schmidt explained that the lack of rainfall could hinder the growth of fall-planted vegetables, grains and cover crops designed to shift cuttings. Nutrient runoff in Sapeake Bay. Schmidt doubts, however, whether this year's damage will have an impact on the bay.
On Schmidt's farm, he personally has delayed planting wheat because of dry weather.
“So farmers are considering [the dry weather] And trying to decide: should I predict the arrival of rain, or should I wait until it rains? I think agricultural decisions are definitely being made because of the drought,” he said.
“That's the question we're all asking,” Skeen said when asked when it might rain again. She said there was a slight chance of rain in the far western parts of the state Wednesday night and in Baltimore on Saturday. There is a 14% chance of rainfall in the southwestern part of the county.
The end of hurricane season may also do little to alleviate the drought. Tropical Storm Oscar will likely not bring any precipitation to northern Maryland after it dissipates northeast of Bermuda.
Skene also noted that La Niña, a weather pattern that cools Pacific waters, will bring warmer temperatures to Maryland as fall turns into winter, but precipitation should be close to normal.
Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or @rzbworks on X.
