DATE: Tuesday, June 3, 1997                 TAG: 9706030295

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

DATELINE: ROANOKE                           LENGTH:   56 lines

RAINS BRING RELIEF TO DRY FARMS BUT TRIGGER FLOODS IN VIRGINIA IN PARTS OF THE STATE, SUNDAY'S RAINFALL TOPS THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL FOR ALL OF MAY.

Many western and central Virginia farms parched by an extremely dry spring had more rainfall on the first day of June than during all of May, and more thunderstorms rolled in Monday.

``We're going from famine to feast,'' said Jon Repair, an agriculture extension service agent in Rockbridge County.

The Blue Ridge Mountains and valleys from the North Carolina border to Rockbridge County were under a flash flood watch Monday afternoon. Dime-sized hail fell in Grayson County, where the storm entered the state about noon, but Sheriff's Department dispatcher Gary Snow said there were no reports of damage.

On Sunday in Rockbridge County, several roads were washed out when streams washed over their banks and three houses were flooded, emergency services coordinator Bob Weikel said.

The Natural Bridge caverns closed a few hours early Sunday afternoon and a guide evacuated about five tourists who had to wade through knee-high water to get out, said Dave Parker, the attraction's marketing director.

The trail down to the famous rock bridge also was closed early when Cedar Creek flooded and about an inch of water flowed onto the walkway, Parker said. The caverns and trail reopened Monday.

The highest reported rainfall total came in Glasgow, six miles east of Natural Bridge, where 6.8 inches fell.

In Alleghany County, the rain set off small mudslides that kept Virginia Department of Transportation crews busy trying to clear roads, said dispatcher T.H. Smith of the county Sheriff's Department.

Dave Keller of the weather service's Blacksburg office said other areas hit hard by the rain included Apple Orchard Mountain, north of Roanoke, which got 5.23 inches, and Buena Vista, which got 4.75 inches.

Richmond received 1 to 3 inches of rain in three hours Sunday. That was after the city got 1.36 inches for all of May.

And Roanoke, which got only 1.04 inches of rain last month - its second-driest month since 1912 - received 1.25 inches by midnight Sunday.

Farmers have lamented the lack of rain, saying they have been forced to buy feed for their animals because pasture grasses haven't been growing.

On Monday, Rockbridge cattle farmer Clarence Tardy was repairing eight flood gates and sections of fencing that washed away during the previous day's 5-inch deluge. But he wasn't complaining.

``The rain helped more than it hurt,'' Tardy said. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Polly Sennstrom, seated, gets a ride from neighbors Kelly and Elaine

Moore after inspecting debris that washed down from a construction

site, taking out part of her fence in Roanoke County during heavy

weekend rains. Roanoke, which got only 1.04 inches of rain in May,

received 1.25 inches by midnight Sunday.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu