CURTICE, Ohio — Farmers woke up happy Thursday morning after steady rainfall covered much of northwest Ohio - and more precipitation is expected next week.
The WTOL 11 Weather Team is forecasting as much as a half-inch of rain through the end of Thursday. It's much-needed in northwest Ohio, which has been in a drought for most of the summer and fall seasons.
Though the growing season is over, Thursday's rain will help saturate the drought-addled soil. If it precedes more precipitation, like more snow or rain over the winter, it may help set farmer's up for a successful spring.
Cindy Bench owns Bench Farms on State Route 2 in Curtice. She said a wet winter would be welcome.
"We usually rely on the winter snows and the spring rains to re-hydrate," said Bench. "So, we are hoping that this is the start of something bigger."
The scattered rain that's come to northwest Ohio in the last few weeks may be a sign of drought relief soon to come. As it stands now, northwest Ohio is in a "severe drought," according to the US Drought Monitor. Some weeks ago, parts of the area were in an "exceptional drought," meaning recent rain has brought some relief.
"The drought was marching from California east over the last few years and it reached our door step this year. There are some parts of Ohio that are in severe desperate drought," said Bench.
The farmer said this summer's drought was a little different than what we have seen in the past. It shortened their growing season and caused their produce sales to end earlier.
To see a better produce season next spring, farmers are hoping for a hard, snowy winter, and they say the rain we see now doesn't hurt.
"If we have a nice cold winter, a lot of snow then the snow gently melts down in and that rehydrates your soil," Bench explained. "So that's what we are hoping for a really good snow. I don't want to pay higher electric or heating bills, but we really need a hard winter this year."