Double Whammy! – Drought and Thunderstorms
All plants need at least some water to survive, therefore rain is important to adding moisture to your lawn. Rainfall in any form will provide some relief from hot, dry conditions. Thunderstorm development usually occurs in warm, humid weather conditions. In small thunderstorms, peak five-minute rainfall rates can exceed 4.7 inches per hour in a very short time. So, most of the rain will run off into drainage channels and streams rather than soak into the ground.
A single rainstorm will not break what is termed a drought, but it might provide temporary relief. Light to moderate rain showers will only provide cosmetic changes; its impact is short term. The rainfall rate is generally described as light, moderate, or heavy.
Light rainfall is considered less than 0.10 inches of rain per hour.
Moderate rainfall measures 0.10 to 0.30 inches of rain per hour.
Heavy rainfall is more than .30 inches per hour.
