I have a Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar in my landscaping that has been there and established for close to 3 years now. In the early spring we noticed a branch at the bottom that was shedding nearly all of it's needles slowly. We ended up pruning it off and did not have any problems since...until this week. Within the last 2-3 days the top branches have a significant amount of needles that are browning and fall off easily. At the end of each branch is very green healthy looking new growth. I did not notice any bugs; however, the bark appears to be splitting with longest being maybe 2-3 inch sections with a little sap at the end of split. These "splits" resemble grooves and look similar but not exact to what I noticed from the 17 year cicadas that came out of the ground last summer in this area as they are much smoother whereas the cicadas left raggedy edges. Also, worth mentioning is that it had rained almost daily for the past 3 weeks. Does anyone have any idea what may be the culprit? Is this normal shed or more? And is there anything I can do to save one of our favorite trees? Thanks!!