Western FSU
Unsettled weather prevailed over central and northern
portions of the region, while somewhat drier weather returned to primary
southern wheat areas.
A persistent blocking high over northern Eurasia caused
storms to drift and stall over Ukraine and Russia for a third consecutive week.
As a result, an additional 10 to 30 mm of rain was reported
from central Ukraine into central and northern Russia, while moderate to heavy
rainfall (20-80 mm) was observed in Russia’s North Caucasus District.
As a result, soil moisture remained adequate to abundant for
reproductive to filling winter wheat as well as vegetative corn, soybeans, and
sunflowers in Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia.
However, key Russian winter wheat areas of Rostov and
Krasnodar Krai* in the southwestern Southern District were favourably drier
(mostly less than 5 mm), with this week’s respite from recent wetness
facilitating fieldwork and crop maturation.
Temperatures averaged 2 to 5°C below normal, which slowed
crop development but also minimized heat concerns following a warm, locally hot
start to the month.
Eastern FSU
Beneficial rain returned to the region’s primary spring
wheat areas, though early-season heat expanded northward
out of South Asia.
Following a much-drier-than-normal
May, which enabled rapid spring wheat planting but also
reduced soil moisture, moderate to heavy showers and
thunderstorms (10-80 mm) across northern Kazakhstan and
central Russia were timely for crop establishment.
There
were pockets of dry weather noted in Russia’s Siberia
District, but most crop areas now have sufficient soil
moisture for proper spring wheat development.
Farther
south, excessive heat expanded northward from southern
Asia, with daytime readings topping 38°C (locally as high
43°C in Uzbekistan and 47°C in Turkmenistan) across much
of the region’s southern tier.
Some of this heat (32-34°C)
expanded into northeastern Kazakhstan and the Siberia
District.
While the hot conditions caused high
evapo-transpiration rates and increased irrigation
requirements, spring wheat (north) and cotton (south) were
not yet in the temperature-sensitive reproductive stages of
development.