Where's the rain this year?

Where's the rain? That is a question farmers are beginning to ask as the first four months of 2014 are lagging behind the expected late winter and early spring rains.

The northwest section of Benton County already shows a deficit of more than five inches of moisture for the year. Through the month of April, only 7.72 inches of moisture were recorded at the Gravette NOAA weather station.

This compares to the average of 12.89 inches for the first four months of the year, a deficit of 5.71 inches. The total was 16.75 inches during the same period last year.

It will require more than 11 inches of rain during May to catch up, according to records from the past 75 years. Normal rain/snow moisture through the month of May totals 18.68 inches.

January's total this year amounted to 1.16 inches compared to the 2.31 inch average. February was especially dry with 0.48 inch recorded compared to the 2.59 inch average. March was slightly above average with 3.89 inches recorded compared to the 3.71 inch average. April, normally a wetter month, showed only 1.74 inches recorded locally compared to the 4.38 inch average. Normal rainfall during May is 5.79 inches.

Last year's moisture total was 53.25 inches, well above the 44.87 inch average for the 12-month period. This followed 33.17 inches in the previous dry year which damaged trees and other vegetation, the results of which are still showing up.