Starting Sunday, rain is expected in the Philadelphia area for the first time in six weeks, and many people say it can’t come soon enough.
“It’s definitely been a while,” said Owen Maguire.
For some it is still hard to believe how long it has been since it rained.
“It’s crazy how long it’s been dry,” said Ken Cahill of Broomall.
Lance Hannum added, “I’ve never seen this in the fall.”
And the effects of the dry conditions are not hard to miss.
“I tried to grow some grass this fall, but it didn’t work very well,” Cahill said.
Grass is one thing, but the prolonged drought has also damaged crops and frustrated farmers.
Circumstances led to it several forest fireswhich have prompted drought warnings. And some businesses have been affected.
“I do gutters. It’s actually a small dent in the business,” said Maguire, who works for a gutter cleaning company.
The coming rain is welcome news, but it also comes with a warning.
“This first rainfall after a significant amount of dry time will kick up oil and fluids on the roads and couple that with fall leaves, and it will be a very slippery situation,” said Jana Tidwell with AAA.
Tidwell said this may have caused a situation similar to freezing rain. “Motorists should be careful there,” she said.
Still, after weeks without it, some said the rain couldn’t come fast enough.
‘Sometimes I hate the rain, but when you haven’t had it for so long. You need him,” Maguire said.
And if things don’t improve soon, more drought warnings or even emergencies could follow.
