By Natalie De La Garza
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — A few weeks after a month that ranked amongst Junes as the top five precipitous with 6 inches of rain, July was gearing up for one of its driest months ever — until a deluge broke on July 17, bringing with it 3.6 inches of rain that fell in just a two-hour period.
In a public information statement on July 18, officials with the National Weather Service in Caribou stated that the 3.6 inches smashed the previous record of 1.22 inches in 2001.
“Not only did it break the daily record, but it was the most rain ever observed on a calendar day during the month of July,” the statement read, citing that the previous record for a single day in July was set on July 4, 2011 with 2.58 inches. The most rainfall recorded in Caribou was on Aug. 17, 1981 when 6.67 inches of rain fell, followed by 6.21 inches on Sept. 5, 1954, 4.08 inches on Aug. 18, 1958, 4.05 inches on Oct. 3, 1970 and then the recent place holder of last week’s weather event at 3.81 inches on July 17.
Tim Hobbs, director of development at the Maine Potato Board said that last week’s heavy rains did lead to erosion difficulties for some Caribou farmers, but all in all “the crop looks great right now,” he explained.
Hobbs said that there are two distinct states of growth in the potato fields, resultant of an early planting season followed by some very wet weather that delayed further planting.
Though last week’s heavy storm causing difficulties for some Caribou growers and an intense storm earlier this summer wreaking havoc on fields in Hamlin, Hobbs explained that both occurances were very localized and the crop overall looks pretty good so far.
“It was a non-typical spring, but we haven’t had a typical spring in the past few years,” he said, commenting on how having a non-typical spring is actually becoming more typical.
It’s been warm recently, but the hot weather is good for the crop as long as it’s accompanied with cool nights.
“If it carries on without rain, then that’s a big deal,” Hobbs said.
The first two weeks in July hardly had any precipitation — only about .03 inches of rain — which has some growers with the capability irrigating their crops. With last week’s rainy relief, Hobbs said that the crop looks great right now.
“There are some places where you can see the effects of an early wet season, but other than that things look really good,” he said, reminding that it’s still a long time between now and the potato house.
