The tropical storm season that has been well underway along the U.S. coastlines for weeks, has finally had a major effect–in this case a positive one–for many residents in the Appalachian region, including in Kentucky.

Although the storms that produced hurricanes, tornadoes, major flooding and other weather related damage and loss of lives in many areas of the eastern and gulf coast season after season, the aftermath of these severe weather systems as they reach farther inland can also produce some positive effects at times in other parts of the country.

The positive side of Tropical Storm Lee, which struck the Gulf Coast in Louisiana over the Labor Day week impacted much of the southeast, including Kentucky and Tennessee, bringing heavy–and much needed–relief in the form of rain and lower temperatures.

The rain hit the northern Tennessee and southern Kentucky areas on Sunday afternoon, and as of press time Tuesday morning, had already dropped well over three inches of precipitation in the Clinton County area–with more rain falling on Tuesday and predicted, although in lesser amounts, through mid-to-late week.

The weather system that caused heavy damage to most areas of the Gulf Coast also brought relief to this area of the region, which in recent weeks had been in the midst of a somewhat moderate drought that was beginning to have an adverse affect, especially on the agricultural industry in the area.

Prior to the storm system that is currently moving through as a result of Tropical Storm Lee, farmers across several southeastern states, including Kentucky, was beginning to feel the affect of not only dry conditions, but the abnormal heat that was prevalent all the way up through last week, when temperatures reached triple digits for two to three days in a row in some areas.

The effects of the drought-like conditions had already affected local farmers and the horticultural producers in the area prior to the rains.

Ironically, Phil Smith, Clinton County Extension Agent for Agricultural and Natural Resources, during an interview last Friday afternoon–just two days before the rains came–had noted the one thing the area needed at that time “was a good soaking rain over two to three days that would bring at least two to three inches on rainfall.”

The agriculture agent said late last week that the dry weather conditions, combined with the heat, had already had somewhat of an adverse affect on the local farming community, adding there was no way to put an exact economic impact county-wide that the drought conditions had caused.

Smith said that crops such as corn, soybeans and pastures had been reduced in yield amounts and added that “a good rain soon would help them come out a little.”

About all locally produced crops had been affected by the dry weather, including vegetable crops, Smith noted. He added that late season vegetables and pastures wouldn’t be affected as much and also noted that tobacco could withstand hotter, drier weather more than most crops. However, the amount of tobacco produced in the county is far less now than in years past.

Unlike many parts of the country, especially the southwest–such as states like Texas and Oklahoma–the cattle industry in the region, as of late last week, was still doing well with prices holding steady, as the stress of the hot, dry weather had not caused significant loss to cattle thus far.

The effects of the drought-like conditions isn’t expected to impact Kentucky and other southeastern states like it will in some areas. However, due to cattle and crop losses in other states associated with the adverse conditions, food prices across the nation are expected to increase as a result.

As an example, even through Hurricane Lee caused major flooding from the Gulf Coast, all the way up to the Appalachian region, the state of Texas–which as of press time Tuesday was suffering from out-on-control wild fires–got no significant moisture from the system and continued to be in a major drought, which was having a large adverse affect on that state’s cattle industry.

Locally, as of Tuesday morning, about four inches of rain had been recorded since Sunday afternoon, with that amount expected to rise before the system runs its course.

As a general rule, the late summer, early fall months are the ‘driest’ months of the year in this region of the country, thus the rains being received this week are a welcome site to most residents. The weather system also brought a welcome drop in temperatures, especially to people who are prone to health problems brought on by extreme heat.