Bret from Manteno, Ill., has forwarded us this photo taken by his father off a balcony at Myrtle Beach, S.C. Bret tells us his Dad is wintering there. Thanks for the chance to more than glimpse at the sun, Bret, even if in a photo.
John Hazzard, one of our observers who farms at Wilmington, Ill., in western Will County, reports ponding water and saturated soil as the 2007 planting season approaches. He estimates 10 days of dry weather may be necessary before planting can begin. And John tells us the start of planting has occurred on average between April 18th and the 28th in the past 10 years and contrasts this season with last when subsoil moisture was precariously short after an extended spell of dry weather.
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
