.PNG)
In Ukraine and western Russia, unseasonably warm, showery weather
(5-25 mm or more) favoured early winter wheat and barley development, aiding
germination and emergence.
The showers likely slowed local fieldwork, including summer
crop harvesting and additional winter grain planting.
The rain was overall beneficial, however, providing a
welcome boost in topsoil moisture which will help with winter grain establishment.
Elsewhere in the region, mostly dry, unseasonably warm
weather favoured summer crop harvesting in Belarus.
Temperatures in Belarus, Ukraine, and western Russia
averaged about 3 to 6°C above normal, helping spur winter grain development.