The weeds in my garden have overtaken the veggies. The corn stalks are listing to the left like a boat in a storm.

For a home gardener, and farmers throughout the area, this summer has been a battle between successfully growing crops and raising one’s hands in surrender.

The long drought we suffered forced farmers to use irrigation on their corn, and gardeners needed to water their struggling tomato plants every evening when the sun went down and temperatures dropped a bit.

High humidity, with tropical dew point levels, throughout the Lehigh Valley brought forth the only water in sight - sweat dripping from the brows of those determined to salvage at least a few flowers and vegetables.

Smoke from the wildfires in Canada forced many to remain inside not once, but twice over a period of several weeks due to hazardous breathing conditions.

We prayed for rain during the drought - and Mother Nature responded with a fury.

The rains came ... and came ... and came.

On July 9, roadways, homes and backyards were under water.

Television news reports showed video footage of cars under water up to their roofs. Route 222 near Reading, Berks County, was completely flooded, as was Cedar Creek Park in Allentown.

In West Point, N.Y., one young woman lost her life while trying to save her pet, both swept away in rushing floodwaters after 7.5 inches of rain.

Portions of Laureldale and Fleetwood, both in Berks County, were flooded, as was Quakertown in Bucks County.

In North Whitehall, Mauch Chunk Road, near Willow Street, was flooded.

I watched as brown, muddy water rushed angrily down the road in front of my house.

Thankfully, PennDOT had fixed the side of the road many years ago, after my cellar was flooded with several feet of water, so that the rain water now flows down the road instead of toward my house.

According to the National Weather Service, Macungie received 2.26 inches of rain on Sunday; Lynn Township, 3.26 inches; Weisenberg, 2.48 inches; Germansville, 3.14 inches; Breinigsville, 2.15 inches; Northampton, 2.02 inches; Whitehall, 2.32 inches; and Fogelsville, 2.48 inches.

Kutztown reportedly saw more than 6 inches of rain during this one-in-1,000-year flood event that attacked states along the East Coast.

And, if all that is not enough, the weather forecaster on 6ABC Action News, Philly WPVI-TV is predicting more thunderstorms for July 13, after a brief break on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The only saving grace, for me, was the precipitation was in the form of rain and not snow.

Remember, 1 inch of rain equals approximately 10 inches of snow.

I can’t wait to see what crotchety old Mother Nature brings us this coming winter.

Deb Palmieri

editor

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press