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TOMMY DILLARD/Ledger & Times
The time and temperature sign at U.S. Bank at 12th and Main reads temperatures passed the 100-degree mark Wednesday afternoon. The weather forecast into next week remains hot with no chance of rain adding to local drought conditions and heat-illness risks. |
Little rain, high temps keep hurting crops
By TOM BERRY
Staff Writer
Lack of rainfall in Calloway County and western Kentucky - accompanied by temperatures around 100 degrees - is expected to continue during the next 10 days, wilting crops and wreaking havoc on the area's agricultural economy this season.
Farmer Donnie Overbey said Wednesday that drought conditions and damage to the family's corn, soybeans and other crops is the worst he's seen in years and if any rain does fall it may be too little, too late.
“We're severely dry,” he said. “It's even wilting my soybeans down and I've got some corn that even if it did rain it probably wouldn't help. We're hurting as bad as we have hurt in years and most people over most of the county are really hurting bad.”
Todd Powell, Calloway County agriculture extension agent, agreed with Overbey's assessment.
“It's hurting them pretty bad,” Powell said this morning. “I've got calls about not having hay for the cattle and that kind of stuff. The drought is hurting the feed and everything else.”
There is very little hope for a significant amount of rain any time soon.
Robin Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, said this morning that scattered thunderstorms or spotty rainfall is possible, but likely will not have much of an effect on conditions.
“There's a slight chance we'll see some showers and isolated thunderstorms probably overnight Friday and into Saturday,” Smith said. “That would be our next chance for rain at all aside from a spotty shower here and there. There will be nothing organized at all and the rain that we do get, if any, will not be significant.”
NWS officials are forecasting dry conditions in western Kentucky for the next two weeks and temperatures are expected to remain in the mid to upper 90s through Aug. 11.
For complete story, see today's Ledger & Times
Story created Aug 02, 2007 - 11:55:15 EDT.
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