Storms that dumped as much as 3½ inches of rain in some parts of the Coulee Region left water standing in many fields, although farmers had covered a lot of ground last week in planting, agriculture officials said.

Corn planting in Wisconsin stands at 73 percent, far short of the 2009-13 average of 90 percent, according to the weekly crop report released Monday.

Rainfall of more than

2 inches in some parts of Trempealeau County “slowed planting down, but there was good progress last week,” said county extension agent Steve Okonek, estimating that planting in Trempealeau mirrors the state figure.

“There is water standing in some fields,” he said, so farmers planting corn for use as dry grain will have to switch to an earlier maturing seed or switch to soybeans, he said.

Corn emergence statewide is 42 percent, double the same time last year, although trailing the five-year average of 65 percent, according to the crop report. Seventy percent of the corn was in good condition as of Friday, the report said.

Joe Lauer, a UW-Extension corn agronomist, issued a report saying many farmers are concerned about flooded fields, which he said can kill corn within a few days.

“Many crop fields were completely destroyed, while others were left with varying degrees of damage,” Lauer wrote, advising farmers to document damage to report to their insurers.

Soybean planting stands at 41 percent, slightly above last year but far short of the five-year average of 71 percent.

The 24-hour rainfalls ranging from 2¾ inches in La Crosse to 3½ inches in Vernon County Sunday through Monday, along with heavy downpours in the river basins to the north created another yo-yo effect for the Mississippi River and its tributaries, with isolated reports of road washouts and flooding.

The rain created a sinkhole on the edge of Hwy. 33 near Hagen Road in La Crosse about 6 p.m. Sunday, but highway crews repaired the washout by midnight, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings and watches for parts of the Mississippi and Kickapoo rivers until further notice, although rain expected to develop tonight is predicted to scoot south of the Coulee Region.

“The copious rain we got continues to irritate the rivers,” said NWS meteorologist Dave Schmidt. “All of the tributaries up north are starting to dump.”

The Mississippi, which had dipped to nearly 9 feet at La Crosse during the weekend, has begun a slow rise toward nearly 11 feet in the next week, which would be a foot below flood stage. The level is expected to reach 10 feet Friday, again invoking the no-wake zone along the riverfront.

Flood watches were issued for Wabasha and Winona counties in Minnesota, with the river surging toward 12 feet at both sites, according to the NWS. The Winona watch also affects Buffalo and Trempealeau counties.

Minor flooding is expected through Wednesday on the Kickapoo at Readstown and Viola, the NWS predicts.

Today is expected to be sunny, with a high of 78.

Thunderstorms are possible tonight into Wednesday, although the main rainfalls are expected to be to the south, Schmidt said.

“The prognosis for a big thunderstorm complex developing in the Nebraska panhandle are that it probably will nail much of Iowa before taking a dive to the southeast,” largely sparing the Coulee Region, he said.

Thursday and Friday are expected to be mostly sunny, with chances of storms returning for the weekend, according to the NWS.

Source - http://lacrossetribune.com/