Spring Progress Evident in the Landscape

This week's warm-up is by far the most heat we have seen since late October of 2007, with temperatures in the low 70s F across southern Minnesota on Wednesday. Ice has gone out on Budd, Sarah, Clear, Loon, and Swan Lakes across southern MInnesota, and it is rapidly disappearing on Lake Pepin. In addition frost has gone out of the ground in many southern Minnesota counties, though central and northern counties still show some ground frost between the 2 and 4 foot depths. With soil temperatures at 4 inches climbing into the 40s and 50s F during the day farmers are clearly getting the signal it is time to start field work. I suspect next week to see a flurry of field working activity around southern sections of the state in between the rain showers. Everybody is itching to go.

More on lake ice out conditions on a day by day basis can be found at the DNR State Climatology web site