A Bone-Dry September's Wilting Toll

Dust and Dead Grass, But Not Yet Despair

At Meadow Hill Farm in Loudoun County, the pastures are taking on a yellowish hue. Shoots aren't sprouting from 100 acres planted with rye because there hasn't been enough rain for the seeds to germinate. And the usual grass dinner for the 200 cows has been supplemented with hay.

As he drove his white pickup truck through the fields yesterday morning, Donald Virts, who has worked on this farm for more than 30 years, said the long dry stretch is beginning to take a toll. For now, the streams are flowing, hay is abundant and there's green grass poking through, but the land needs rain.

"There's still a bit of grass out there. Ideally you'd like to have it way up to your knees, but I'm tickled with what I've got," said Virts, 65. "Anybody involved in farming, they believe, or they wouldn't last. You have to have faith that things will turn around and it will rain."

The Washington area experienced the driest September in more than a century, and the heat and dearth of rain have produced parched lawns, dusty schoolyards and withered gardens. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared several Virginia counties, including Loudoun, Fauquier and Clarke, agricultural disaster areas. And fire officials worry that if showers don't come soon, pine needles and leaves could fuel wildfires.

According to the National Weather Service, 0.11 inches of rain fell last month at Reagan National Airport, a few drops less than the previous record of 0.14 inches, in 1884, and far less than the typical 3.67 inches. Forecasters say there's a 30 percent chance that a cold front moving into the area will bring showers Wednesday or Thursday.

Last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor, a Nebraska-based consortium of academics and federal agencies, declared that the entire mid-Atlantic region is experiencing a moderate drought.

Although Round Hill and other localities are encouraging voluntary conservation, area officials said previous years of above-normal rainfall have left groundwater and reservoir levels adequate. This year, 29.71 inches of rain has been measured at National Airport, about one-fifth of an inch less than is typical.

Still, the impact of the unusual and prolonged dry spate is clear in any neighborhood. Leaves so dry they crackle underfoot are piling up. Only lawns watered by conscientious gardeners remain lush. Horticulturists say fall foliage watchers should expect a subdued palette from the leaves that do hang on.

Turf farmers, landscapers and even homeowners tending to lawns and gardens are feeling the drought's impact.

Diana Patton, president of Turf Center Inc. in Spencerville, said she recently had to turn a potential client away because she couldn't provide enough sod for the landscaping job he had been hired to perform.

Patton, a former president of the Maryland Turfgrass Association, said the dry weather has made this year's turf crop less abundant and healthy. Growers planting seeds for future crops also are finding that the seeds aren't taking root because there's not enough moisture.

"You can't really irrigate enough to get the production. You're going to get lesser quantity, lesser quality," Patton said. "You can't substitute rainfall. You just pray real hard."