It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...at least it was this morning in Pike County where big flakes came down and provided a few inches of snow in some spots.

Thanks to Staci Nordhoff of Velpen for this photo.

Temperatures should warm up and melt away this stuff as the day goes on but expect about an inch of accumulation on grassy surfaces.

A week of rain and unseasonable warmth in January replenished the ground with enough water to eliminate dry conditions across Indiana except for the far northern part of the state.

The report by the State Climate Office, based at Purdue University, is good news for crop farmers, who rely on rain and snow over the winter to "recharge" soils with water needed for spring plantings.

"We can't overemphasize the significance of this recharge in creating the much-needed reserves of soil moisture that can help alleviate the impacts of dry conditions if we start getting that around planting time," said Dev Niyogi, state climatologist. "While the general outlook is for normal rains in coming months, our recent experience guides us to think the threat of drought again is just round the corner and not off the mind or landscape. These rains and snow events are critical."