Local farmers received their million dollar rainfall Tuesday, but sat worried through the night Wednesday, hoping the cloud cover stuck around so a predicted freeze wouldn't occur.

Breckenridge Water Plant reported a 33 degree low this morning, a few degrees above many cities across North Dakota. Minot was about 21 degrees last night, while Hettinger reported lows of 16 degrees.

The 33 degree low shouldn't have affected most crops in the region, authorities said.

Wilkin County Extension Agent Mylan Drewlow said the rain was nice to have, and the cold temperatures last night didn't cause any problems with the crops.

"We call it the million dollar rain because it was just getting so dry in the fields. We could've lost some crops. This rain saved us millions of dollars," Drewlow said.

"It's an ideal amount of rain also, not too much and not too little. The cold didn't set in too bad, stayed right around 33 degrees. Heard it was supposed to get down to 27 degrees last night. I am glad to know it didn't," he added.

Temperatures have to get down to about 27 degrees for a couple of hours to cause any problems, he said.

The rains were great, but too much standing water can also pose a problem, Drewlow said.

"I saw little to no standing water in the fields so the farmers seem to have good drainage. If there is standing water in the fields, I am sure it will be drained out in a few hours, leaving the crops OK. Too much can cause damage though," Drewlow said.

Paul Tolbert, a wheat and soybean farmer in Breckenridge, said the rain has brought some good news.

"Oh yeah, definitely a nice rain. Haven't really gotten a chance to see my fields yet, but from the window it doesn't look like I have any standing water. My wheat is in the two leaf stage and my beans haven't come up yet. They both needed the water," Tolbert said.

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