Recent rains are a “double-edged sword,” but there is a break on the horizon as forecasts predict clear skies and nearly 100-degree days by the weekend.

Since June 1, nearly 2.5 inches of rainfall has been recorded in Andalusia. Rainfall totals for May by the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority settled at 2 inches for the month. Still, annual rainfall total at 23.68 inches – up from this time last year by a little more than two inches.

“For farmers, rain is a double-edge sword,” said Charles “Chuck” Simon, county Auburn extension agent. “Ponds need to be filled back up and field capacity needs to be recharged, so the rain is good on that front.

“But for the people who cut hay, they can’t cut because of the rain, and if they do manage to cut, it’s not able to dry,” Simon said. “Same thing for those doing row crops. They can’t get out with their machinery because it’s too wet.

“We really need the rain, but it needs to be followed with several sunny days so our farmers can get out there and work,” he said.

And area farmers may soon get that opportunity. The rain chance remains slight on Tuesday at 20 percent and disappears on Wednesday, when forecasters give a one-word description for the day – “Hot.” The day’s high is set at 98 degrees, bringing with it a high dose of humidity.

The National Weather Service currently classifies Southeast Alabama as “abnormally dry,” and while Sunday’s rains didn’t change that designation, they did help.

Simon reminded residents to pour out any standing water after the rain clears out.

“With the humid weather coming, I expect mosquitoes to be the next problem,” he said. “Folks need to look out for standing water, and take care of it when they see it.”