After a first good cutting of hay, weather in the Ozarks during the past three weeks has taken a turn toward the usual Ozark summer. It’s hot … and dry … and getting hotter and drier as July progresses!

A summary of the first six months of 2013 shows the area has exceeded its average moisture, but late June and early July suggest the trend is reversing.

A total of 27.15 inches of moisture/rainfall was recorded during the January-June period this year. This exceeds the annual 26.87 inch average for the area. It compares with the stingy 16.39 inches received during the first six months of last year. But the unpredictable weather for the area is demonstrated by comparing the first six months of 2011 when 33.68 inches was received. This was bolstered by 15.15 inches in April and 10.01 inches in May two years ago.

Last year - 2012 - went down in history as one of the driest in the region, according to records dating back 80 years. Only 33.17 inches of moisture fell in the Gravette area last year, which is almost 11 inches below the normal 44.

The record dry year for the area was during Depression days, 1936, when only 23.94 inches was recorded at the local NOAA weather station.

Comparing temperatures, those Depression years were also some of the hottest on record, when the highest temperature recorded at the station was 114 degrees on July 19, 1936. This was matched by the same reading on Aug. 3, 2011.

Last year, 2012, saw the thermometer reach or exceed the 100-degree mark on 37 days during the summer, six of those in June. There were 38 100-plus days the previous year, 2011, with only one in June. This year June ended with no 100-degree days and the unseasonable early July cool spell brought some relief. But, according to the forecasters, hot and dry weather can be expected during the remainder of the summer.

Such is the fickleness of weather in the Ozarks. Keep those hoses handy to water gardens and shrubs. And watch the clouds with hope for a second cutting of hay.

News, Pages 5 on 07/10/2013