Western FSU
Unrelenting drought in parts of Ukraine and Russia’s Central
District contrasted with additional beneficial rainfall in southern and central
Russia.
In western-most growing areas, sunny skies and near-normal
temperatures followed last week’s rain, encouraging winter wheat development
from Moldova into western Ukraine.
Meanwhile, scattered light showers (mostly less than 5 mm)
in central and eastern Ukraine as well as southern portions of Russia’s Central
District offered little - if any - relief from drought; over the past 90 days,
precipitation has tallied a meager 25% of normal or less in many of these core
drought areas.
Consequently, prospects for winter wheat establishment are
bleak where crops were sown due to a lack of moisture and the approach of
seasonally colder weather.
Farther east, a slow moving cold front produced 5 to 30 mm
of rainfall from the eastern Black Sea Coast northeastward into the Volga
District, further improving soil moisture for winter wheat.