‘We might not see again for 50 to 75 years’: Christmas rain considered a Black Swan event; good for farmers

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – We saw record rain here in the month of December, especially for the southern Red River Valley. For the past couple of days there has been freezing rain in the area. But according to the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network, this won’t be a bad thing for farmers because the conditions were perfect for it.

They say with the lack of snow and moisture in the ground, this rain event won’t negatively impact the planting season.

“Depending on if we would get another larger rain event in April could potentially slow down the spring planting a little bit,” said Daryl Ritchison of NDAWN. “But the odds do favor it still remaining overall dry through the next few months in the sense of below average precipitation. So I think I would lean towards being a net positive in Ag. Because it really eliminated any dry concerns going into the planting season here in a few months.”

Daryl Ritchison says this was a Black Swan event, one that we might not see again for generations. Because the conditions all lined up perfectly with warm temps, low amount of snow, etc.

“I would equate what happened around Christmas this year, the amount of moisture, the temperature especially in Minnesota. Probably not something we might not see again for 50 to 75 years. In most people’s lifetimes that will never happen again.” said Ritchison.

Ritchison says even though the rain was beneficial this time around, if we continue to get more it could impact planting season.