The pastures are greener and corn stalks taller at Belue Farms in Spartanburg County following recent heavy rainfalls.
“It’s been wetter than normal,” National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Krentz said.
“There is no drought in the Upstate or in western North Carolina.” Krentz said there’s been 32.74 inches of rainfall recorded so far this year at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.
That’s 6.19 inches above average for the year, he said.
It’s too soon to say if wet conditions will continue for the rest of the summer, but county farmers like Harriet Belue, co-owner of Belue Farms off Parris Bridge Road, are grateful for the relief so far.
“We haven’t had to irrigate our peaches, just some of our vegetables.
Clemson Cooperative extension agent Andy Rollins said in some areas of the county there’s been too much rain, creating disease in some crops, including tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and cantaloupe.
Too much rain could also potentially cause peaches to get cracks, he said.
According to the National Weather Service, there are chances of afternoon thunderstorms this week, which could add to this month’s rain totals.
So far in July, GSP has recorded 3.33 inches of rainfall, which is above normal for the month.