[Listen] Tom Hoverstad SROC February Ends Wettest Winter Ever

Tom Hoverstad Scientist at the Southern Research Center at Waseca said the moisture we received in February capped the wettest winter on Record! The meteorological winter is the months of December, January and February. Most of us follow the seasons according to the Calander. Tos said the rain we received in February was a little unusual but all the snow was not. Likely what helped set the moisture record was the warmer temperatures when a couple well predicted snowstorms moved through southern Minnesota!

The snow we received was the wet heavy snow with a lot of moisture in it. There are weather records going back to 1915 at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca. So, the wettest winter on record is noteworthy. The other factor is the dramatic change in the weather pattern. Remember how dry it was last summer and fall? There was not one rain delay from when bean harvest began until corn harvest and tillage was finished.

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I can only remember one other fall that there were no rain delays and I will be planting my 45 crop this spring! The next question is how much of the snow and moisture from the rain will infiltrate into the soil? Most farmers are optimistic that a large percentage will because of very little frost. Click on the link above and listen to Tom talk about our winter and February weather!