Showers maintained favorable conditions for summer crops in Russia, while dryness returned to drought areas in north-central Ukraine.
In Russia, moderate to heavy rain (5-50 mm) sustained good to excellent yield prospects for spring grains and summer crops, which were approaching (north) or progressing through (south) the reproductive stages of development.
In Ukraine, light to moderate showers (2-24 mm) in southern and eastern portions of the country benefited flowering to filling spring grains as well as vegetative to reproductive sunflowers.
In contrast, dry conditions (less than 5 mm) returned to north-central Ukraine, renewing drought concerns and lowering prospects for vegetative to reproductive corn and soybeans.
However, the dry conditions were also accompanied by temperatures up to 3°C below normal, mitigating evaporative losses and crop stress somewhat.
Elsewhere, locally heavy rain (10-45 mm) in southern Moldova boosted yield prospects for corn, while widespread showers (8-40 mm) in Belarus were beneficial for spring grains and oilseeds.