Hope Vermont Enjoyed Recent Rains, Pretty Much No Rain In Forecast For Next 7 Days

A week of dry weather expected in Vermont means you'll
probably have to irrigate your gardens for awhile.

 It looks like us Vermonters are in for the longest dry spell since last September and October.

Don't worry, though, it's not as if we're entering a drought or anything. 

Still, in northern Vermont, the rain stopped Tuesday evening, and we're going to go at least a week until raindrops re-appear.

Some rain was falling in southern Vermont this morning, but that should end by afternoon and that section of the state will stay dry for a week, too.

This dry stretch will be more enjoyable than anything else, but you will have to irrigate your gardens. If you don't some garden plants might end up pretty droopy within a few days. 

That's because on top of the dryness, the days are long this time of year, so there's hours and hours of sunshine to dry things out. Humidity will also remain low for the next several days. 

This dry stretch might be good for farmers, too. The early, warm spring seems to have led to a potentially early hay crop. It's best if farmers have several dry days in a row to deal with harvesting, so this will be perfect.

Last summer was a nightmare in that regard. When the haying was finally ready for cutting in early June, it started to rain constantly, and the wet weather continued through August.  That was for farmers lucky enough to be on hills. 

Many farms were virtually demolished by the catastrophic July floods we had.  

This spring has actually been a little on the dry side, but it has rained frequently enough to keep the ground moist enough. It helps that last fall and winter were wet, so ground water is still in good shape. I suppose if it stays dry through the summer we'll run into some trouble, but for now, we're fine. 

If you're into outdoor activity like hiking and such, you're golden. It's starting off a little on the cool side, with highs today only in the 60s to near 70. 

However, we're in for a gradual warming trend, with low 70s Friday, upper 70s Saturday, then low to mid 80s heading into next week. A few forecasts hint at temperatures near 90 by Wednesday, but I'm taking a wait and see approach on that. It might not necessarily get that hot. 

Eventually, the strong high pressure will break down, allowing moisture to come from the south, and weather fronts to come in from the west.

That might start to happen next Tuesday, though there's also a chance any rain will be postponed until Wednesday or Thursday. 

I  have some some forecasts indicating heavy rain around here around June 6 to 8, but the accuracy of such a long range prediction is iffy at best.

Even if it does end up raining hard by then, the dry conditions we're having now would allow the rain to soak into the ground more, diminishing the risk of any flooding if it rains too heavily.

Given the lack of harm this dry spell will do, all I can say is get out and enjoy it.