Despite being in the news for its weather, North Carolina’s climatologist says the weather pattern is close to normal, reports Rhonda Garrison (Southern Farm Network, Raleigh, NC). Rainfall in Raleigh, NC, for July, however, is nearing 10 inches, but Hurricane Arthur only produced about three inches of rainfall and was mostly a wind maker. Agriculturally, Arthur damaged more of the corn crop than tobacco, she said. Hurricane Irene was the first one Rhonda experienced in North Carolina, and it brought much more severe damage than Arthur. The rainy July has made many of her farmer-listeners happy, but parts of the state still need rain.  June and July are slower months for farming activity in North Carolina when crops are growing – when it’s too early to harvest corn and too late to plant soybeans.