Ken Metrick of Harvest View Farm shows how tall his drought-impacted corn should be at this time of year. Metrick said the drought has increased deer problems and stunted growth of some of his crops.

County farmers said a few days of steady rain would help their drought-stunted crops, but not as much as it would have a month or two ago when plants still were growing.

Showers and thunderstorms forecast through Saturday would have to produce a lot of rain to make up for the lack of rainfall since May.

The county typically gets 4.1 inches of rain in both May and June, but received 2.4 and 2.8 inches, respectively, this year, said John Darnley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

The average rainfall is 4.2 inches in July and 3.9 inches in August. Through July 15, the only data available for that month, the county received 1.3 inches. In August, 2.1 inches has fallen so far, he said.

Temperatures this summer were hotter than usual, but it’s the lack of rain that is hurting farmers.

“With the lack of rain, no matter what crop it is, you don’t get your yield out of it,” said William Thiele of the Thiele Farm in Cabot.