Ice, Ice Baby

Ice, ice baby. Old Man Winter arrived on Thanksgiving evening for an extended stay. When I heard the forecast, I had visions of the 2007 ice storm dancing in my head. We were without electricity for 12 days during that December siege.

But, thankfully, our electricity stayed on for the duration, though I know there are others who are still without power. I empathize ... I really do.

It was quite a dramatic change. On Wednesday afternoon, November 25, I took this photo of bright green wheat under a pretty blue sky.

 

Yesterday morning, under slate gray skies, the same wheat field was enrobed in ice. 

It's kind of like a Slushie machine spilled all over the wheat fields. It seems counter-intuitive that ice on green wheat would be a good thing. But ice or snow insulates the wheat plant and protects it from colder temperatures.

In the photo below, the wheat field on the right was planted after corn harvest, later than the field on the left. It hadn't had much moisture until this weekend's storm.

After the rain gauge thawed out, the ice and sleet had generated a grand total of 2.30" of moisture. That is the most significant "drink of water" our crop has had since it was planted in late September and early October.

It should help the sparser wheat grow a little more in the coming days, as temperatures are supposed to stay above freezing later today and during the days this week.

We're still in the Thanksgiving mood after the beneficial moisture!