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Abington American outlasts Abington National in high-scoring Little League All Star game

Dallas Senior Center menu for week of July 5

WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Last month&#8217;s dry spell that worried gardeners and stunted lawns is history, thanks to drenching weekend rain that made it feel like a &#8220;monsoon season&#8221; in Northeastern Pennsylvania, WNEP-TV meteorologist Noreen Clark said Monday.&#8220;It has been excessive,&#8221; Clark said of the wet weather that hindered or postponed outdoor festivities throughout the region Saturday and Sunday.The National Weather Service&#8217;s drought indicator says that Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, along with most of Northeastern Pennsylvania, are no longer showing as &#8220;abnormally dry.&#8221; Pike and Monroe counties, as well as areas of Carbon and Wayne counties, are still listed as &#8220;abnormally dry.&#8221;So far this month, Clark said that the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport has seen 5.79 inches of rain, far below the record of about 9 inches. Mountain Top, she said, has seen 7.8 inches so far this month.While she said the month will not set any records, it has definitely been a wet one.&#8220;The last seven days have been exceedingly wet,&#8221; Clark said.The state&#8217;s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in March placed 27 counties under a drought watch, including Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. On June 18, DEP announced that the watch would expand to include 10 more counties, bringing the total to 37.DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said that the drought watch is still in effect for all of the counties. She added, however, that DEP&#8217;s drought task force will meet next week &#8220;to determine if that should change or not.&#8221;The Wyoming Valley will see more rain this week, as Clark explained that a low pressure area moving in from the Midwest will bring more showers and possible thunderstorms today.Clark said rainfall amounts could range from &#8220;wetting the ground&#8221; to up to two inches if two thunderstorms come through the area back to back.She did not anticipate any flooding concerns, but said downpours could cause some creeks and streams to well, or some running water in the roadways.

Once-dry Northeastern Pennsylvania now finds itself soggy