The weather pattern remained stagnant, with cold, dry
conditions in the east contrasting with moderate to heavy rain in western-most
portions of the region.
For the second consecutive week, moderate to heavy rain
(10-60 mm) was reported from Moldova northward into western Belarus,
maintaining adequate to abundant soil moisture for winter crop establishment.
Elsewhere, dry weather facilitated seasonal fieldwork,
including corn and sunflower harvesting in Ukraine.
Temperatures for the week averaged 3 to 6°C below normal
from central Ukraine into Russia, with hard freezes (-10 to -2°C) reported in
all but the southern-most winter wheat areas.
Winter wheat entered dormancy from central Ukraine into
northern and central portions of Russia’s Southern District (as far south as
the Rostov Oblast), where 14-day average temperatures were below 5°C.
Weekly average temperatures above 5°C were confined to the
immediate Black Sea coastal areas, indicating wheat was not yet dormant.