Weather chats with Mark Seeley

Spring planting season in full swing as farmers benefit from rain and warm temps

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A drive through fields on Highway 212 near Hector, Minn., photographed in April 2024.
Minnesota Department of Transportation file photo

Overnight storms on Friday poured over soil warmed by April’s spring temperatures. In parts of southern Minnesota, those storms brought over an inch of rain in just one night. That’s good news for farmers.

“When you look out around the landscape, everything’s going into the soil, which is very, very gratifying,” said meteorologist and climatologist Mark Seeley. “I think we're going to have more frequent chances for rainfall for the balance of the month as well.

Oats and spring wheat made good progress this week, Seeley said, and more crops will be going into the ground soon.

“I think we’ll see a lot more corn being planted by farmers over the next week,” he said.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Seeley about the overnight rain and crop planting in their weekly weather chat.