Good progress made with spring planting before rain

Thunderstorms brought nearly 2 inches of rain to the Benson area Monday afternoon and brought a halt to spring planting. However, with nearly a week of warm, dry weather, farmers made considerable progress – catching up for time lost due to a cold, wet first two weeks in May.
It seems as if a switch was flipped May 17 with a reluctant spring giving way to summer-like temperatures. High temperatures that were averaging 59 degrees have averaged 76 degrees over the past 10 days.
According to the National Weather Service, highs are going to be in the mid 80s the rest of this week with lows in the low 60s. The average high for May 28 is 75 degrees and the average low 52 degrees.
Photo:  Heavy rains Monday throughout western Minnesota brought planting to a halt, but signficant progress had been made.  This farm in western Swift County was a busy spot last weekend.