Once again, the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg is predicting rain for our area.  We need the rain because rainfalls have been few and far between this Spring and the forecasted showers for Sunday missed much of the county and the thunderstorms on Saturday were short and more runoff than soaking.

And the forecast earlier Monday called for rain to begin around 10:15 a.m. but, as is normal for the weather service, Mother Nature is an unpredictable sort and now the start of “possible rain” is projected for 1:15 p.m.

At best, the chance for precipitation is 65 percent at most but down to 15 percent by evening with clouds but only a 15 percent chance on Tuesday, a better shot with an 80 percent chance on Wednesday, then “isolated thunderstorm” on Thursday, a reasonably dry Friday and a wet weekend.

Such forecasts do little for an area where the rainfall is lower than normal and farmers worry about a dry Spring and Summer.

As for temperatures this week, look for highs in the upper 60s and 70s on Wednesday before a cooling into the high 50s for the weekend and then back into the 60s next week and 70s for the weekend that will bring April to an end.