With 3.01” of much needed rain this past week, York County, South Carolina has moved from last week’s “Moderately Dry” to a “Mildly Dry” condition, while the U.S. Drought Monitor map still shows a D1-Moderate Drought Intensity. Despite the abundance of rain, which was rapidly absorbed, the trees — especially the tulip poplars — continue to drop leaves. It is still too early to see any fall foliage, but there is a distinct color shift in the green leaves on the trees, which is not quite as vibrant and may be the result of a summer of little water and plenty of heat stress, as well as the trees signaling early leaf senescence. The yard has remained somewhat dormant despite all the rain. I had expected more of a small growth spurt. My tomato plants are done, with one still holding on to one small fruit. Locally, area lakes remain roughly 3-4 feet below normal pool. Statistically, rainfall month-to-date is 1.63” below normal, while year-to-date is 6.50” below normal. Compared to last year, rainfall is down 10.02”.