Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across the region, with
rain falling in western and southern growing areas.
Temperatures for the week averaged 3 to 6°C above normal
over most major winter wheat areas of Russia and Ukraine, further eroding the
region’s snow pack (now confined to the Central and Volga Districts in Russia) and
encouraging early greening of winter wheat in southern parts of Russia and
Ukraine.
In addition, light to moderate rain (2-20 mm) accompanied the warmth over
western and southern portions of the region, maintaining favourable moisture
reserves for spring growth.
However, the Southern District (in particular, the Rostov
Oblast) remained unfavourably dry (less than 50 percent of normal over the past
30 days), and rain will be needed over the upcoming weeks to ensure adequate soil
moisture for spring growth.