Summer Hurricanes May Shake Up Atlantic, Gulf Coast Green Industry

After a pretty dry three months, meteorologists say relief may be on the way. And with the start of an above-normal hurricane season jumping off today, even more rain is expected for the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states in the coming weeks and months.

There is a cold front moving in from the Northeast, bringing with it rain today and Wednesday, said meteorologist Tim Barry of the National Weather Service.

The hurricane season, which runs through November 30, is expected to produce 12 to 15 tropical storms, with six to eight of those likely to become hurricanes, according to a May 17 report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

Many local farmers will happily welcome the rainfall. The lack of precipitation in the past few months has forced them to depend on irrigation to keep their crops alive and healthy.

"We keep the irrigation pumps running 24 hours a day on most days," said Harvey Suber, who owns S K Enterprise Turf Farm in Quincy. Scarce rain in the past few months has made it necessary to irrigate twice as much as he did during this time last year. This has at least doubled his monthly water bill, Suber said.

According to the National Weather Service, this is the driest month and year since 2000. Tallahassee is almost 9.63 inches below the normal rainfall for the year.

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which ranges from 0 (very wet) to 800 (very dry) and measures the dryness of the soil, for Leon County is in the mid 600s, increasing each day it does not rain. The closer the number gets to 800, the greater the chances a wild brush fire could start.

Larry Halsey, Jefferson County's extension officer, says the county's farmers are used to these tough conditions.

"A dry April and May is not uncommon, but it can delay planting as far as peanuts and soybean and can reduce (crop) yield," Halsey said, adding that farmers are most often forced to irrigate, which is more expensive and less efficient than natural rainfall.

The lack of rainfall reduces the likelihood that pine trees planted in the winter will survive because they rely only on natural rainfall, Halsey said.

Amy Center, owner of Cavallo Farms, a 50-acre horse farm and riding stable in Monticello, says the hot, dry weather is greatly affecting her farm.

Without the rain, "the ground will get really hard, and it causes stress and swelling on the horses' legs," Center said. "So basically I'm watering dirt every day."

Center has a well to supply her water, so the extra irrigation isn't costing her too much.

While Center has a sprinkler system installed to soften the ground of the riding areas, she has no way of irrigating the fields, "and the grass isn't coming up very well." She said the only thing she can do is pray for rain.

For some business owners the weather conditions are both good and bad.

"In our business we do landscaping and irrigation, so the weather has been a pro and con to us," said Mike Rucker, co-owner of Luscious Lawns Landscaping and Garden Center on North Thomasville Road. "We've been getting a lot of orders for irrigation, so that's been a plus."

Since February, Rucker has served more than 200 customers.

But the lack of rainfall is putting a lot of stress on his nursery, which includes 15,000 plants and trees.

"We have to watch them constantly and water them all day long," Rucker said.

By using well water, Rucker, like Center, doesn't have to worry about paying the city for his usage. But the extra irrigation is a hassle because some plants require hand watering, Rucker said.

While the area is suffering from a minor drought today, one wet week could change everything.

Last year, the region was 6 inches below normal, and the last week of May yielded 14.3 inches, bringing the total well above normal.