The wet weather of the past week has been a good news story for places like the Southern Plains, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states in need of relief from drier than normal conditions. However in the Corn Belt the situation is a bit different.

"For the most part this rain has slowed field work and in many cases brought it to a standstill," said USDA Meteorologist Eric Luebehusen.

Luebehusen says the short-term wetness in the central Corn Belt is part of an extended trend of above-normal rainfall in multiple time scales.

"That's remarkable because normally you see weather patterns changing and you'll have a period of wetness followed by a period of drier weather," Luebehusen said. "That really hasn't been the case for much of the Corn Belt."

While rain is expected to fall through the Corn Belt for the remainder of this week, Luebehusen says it should be light compared to the rest of the country.

"This leaves a window of opportunity from portions of Nebraska eastward into Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to resume fieldwork," said Luebehusen.