Mother Nature maintains her nothing-if-not-unpredictable reputation as farmers ride the ups and downs of spring temperatures so far this year. Summer weather drove up soil surface temperatures enough to get some farmers kicking off planting season as early as the second week of April.

WeatherTrends360 reports this was the warmest and fifth driest second week of April in more than 30 years. Despite soil temperatures near or exceeding the germination threshold for crop insurance programs, weather forecasts predict a much-cooler progression in April, making the Corn Belt still susceptible to frosts and freeze.

Read more on weather forecasts and planting season here.