Warm weather prevailed, with showers in the south and west contrasting
with sunny skies in eastern and northern growing areas.
A large, strengthening area of high pressure provided sunny
skies along with much-above-normal temperatures (6-10°C above normal) from
Belarus into central and northern Russia; the sunny, warm weather melted the
remaining snow cover, reduced winter crop cold hardiness, and encouraged early
small grain planting.
Farther south, widespread rain in Ukraine (10-35 mm) and
southern Russia (1-10 mm) sustained favourable soil moisture for winter wheat,
with crops continuing to break dormancy as weekly average temperatures topped
5°C across most southern growing areas.