The conclusion to the long Labor Day weekend was an exciting one for many Minot residents and others across the state as early morning thunderstorms dumped rain and hail to various degrees and wind gusts exceeded 70 miles per hour.
Weather reports from the National Weather Service, its Storm Prediction Center and the group Community, Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, known as CoCoRaHS, tells the story.
Softball-size hail near Bowman. Quarter-size hail and 60 mile-per-hour wind gusts near Hebron. Forty-mile-per-hour gusts near Max. Near Dickinson, pea-size hail was reported along with 70 mile-per-hour wind gusts that blew over a tree 10 inches in diameter and 16 feet high.
Although Minot-area residents escaped with only pea-size hail, the two-part downpour resulted in more than two and a half inches of rain, which overtook streets and inundated many harvest-ready fields.
"It's a huge story to those who got the deluge. It's going to slow up an already slow harvest, but the reports I've heard from people coming into the office tells me it was sporadic rain," said Jay Fisher, director at the North Central Research Extension Service, located just south of Minot. Although officials recorded 2.2 inches of rain at the center, Fisher said he heard reports of 30/100ths, three-fourths and 1 inch of rain in various areas within 30 miles of town.
Brad Haugeberg, manager for CHS-SunPrairie Grain, said Tuesday he also heard of a wide-range of rainfall totals from 35/100th in Bowbells to the 2.5 inches in Minot, with most areas in-between recording at least one inch of rain.
"If crops are still green, the rain doesn't have much effect, but for the more mature crops we always worry about sprouting," he said. "If this weather keeps messing around we could start to see some real serious issues."
The most serious issues might pertain to durum, currently the most vulnerable crop to rainfall.
"The problem now is that in many fields the durum is ripe on the highland and green on the low land. After this recent rain, the color may still be good in the low areas but the color of the highland durum may be faded, which could cause some discounts," Haugeberg said.
While the timing might not be ideal, some areas welcome it.
"It's much-needed rain in Fargo and southeast areas of the state," said Adnan Akyuz, state climatologist. "In Fargo, we have been in (rainfall) deficit since March when it flooded, but the most troublesome areas are Cass, Traill, Steele, Eddy, Stutsman and other counties that have departed more from the (rainfall) norm."
Although most of the southeast counties missed out on the Tuesday morning thunderstorms, Akuyz said afternoon showers were expected to pass through the region and provide relief.
The real problem, he said, lies with the lack of heat.
"Since January, Minot is 1.4 inches below normal, so the numbers tell me the area really needed the rainfall," Akuyz said. "The biggest problem is that farmers are having trouble getting the growing degree temps. Reports say that we are 100 to 300 growing degree units behind. That tells me it is more about temperatures than precipitation."
What does the week ahead hold?
Except for today, the National Weather Service forecast calls for a mix of sunshine and a 20 to 40 percent chance of thunderstorms throughout the rest of the week and weekend for the central areas of the state with near average temperatures of upper 60s and 70s for highs and 40s and 50s for lows.
Whether or not those events come to pass, those in the ag sector remain optimistic.
"You always have to look at the positives in agriculture," Fisher said. "While the rain may delay the ripening and harvest of small grains, the late maturing crops like sunflowers and soybeans are still building yield and rain will help that."
"Right now I am crossing my fingers and holding my breath," Haugeberg said. "We have a nice big crop and it'd be nice to get it off."
