Beneficial showers in Russia contrasted with a return to dry
weather in Ukraine.In southern and eastern Ukraine’s winter wheat areas, mostly dry, warm weather (up to 2°C above normal) accelerated winter wheat through the flowering stage of development.
Wheat conditions in Ukraine are highly variable, with satellite-derived vegetation health data indicating excellent conditions in southern and eastern portions of the country contrasting with locally poor vegetation health in central Ukraine due to spring dryness and drought.
Across north-central and western Ukraine, light to locally moderate showers (2-14 mm) maintained topsoil moisture for corn and soybean emergence and establishment, though here, too, localized drought lingered.
In Russia, widespread showers and thunderstorms (2-30 mm, locally more) sustained excellent yield prospects for flowering to filling winter wheat from the southern Central District into the Southern and North Caucasus Districts.
Farther north, moderate to heavy rain (10-70 mm, locally more) boosted moisture reserves for vegetative small grains and summer crops from eastern Belarus into Russia’s Volga District.