HURLOCK, MD - Storms in the forecast for Delmarva are causing concern for some farmers as drought conditions make their fields particularly susceptible to fires.
WBOC Meteorologist John Conway forecasts that thunderstorms on Wednesday evening could feature damaging wind gusts, frequent lightning, and torrential downpours that could cause ponding of water on roadways. There is a Level 1 "Marginal" threat for severe weather that continues into Thursday and Friday.
For those whose livelihoods depend on the weather, the potential for lightning strikes increases the risk of extensive crop damage, as crops already struggling in the dry heat are vulnerable.
"Fire danger is really high," Jeff King of Gravel Branch Farms said. "I've even put out a fire on the side of the road where somebody just threw a cigarette butt out after they cut the grass."
King said the same situation caused a fire last year and forced him to plow out the field, the kind of loss he wants to avoid this year if lightning strikes while conditions are ripe for fires.
Meanwhile, Katelin Frase of Vintage Family Farms told WBOC she has had to delay some planting because the soil is too dry to till, and she does not want storm damage to delay things further.
"Last spring we actually had a major hail storm and had a lot of damage and had to almost replant our entire field,” Frase said. “Storms are just as damaging as not having any as well.”
Dorchester County is not currently under a burn ban. Hurlock, where both Gravel Branch Farms and Vintage Family Farms are located, is under a town-wide burn ban.
