Western FSU
Unseasonably warm, wet December weather was mostly favourable
for dormant winter wheat. Temperatures
during the month averaged 3 to 7°C above normal, causing much of the region’s
moderate to heavy precipitation (more than 200 percent of normal over large
tracts of farmland) to fall as rain. As a result, primary growing areas
remained uncharacteristically devoid of a protective snow cover and
subsequently vulnerable to temperature extremes. Nevertheless, winter wheat
entered dormancy in satisfactory condition in Ukraine and Russia.
Eastern FSU
Seasonably colder weather prevailed across the region. During December, temperatures averaged within 2°C of normal across central
Russia and northern Kazakhstan. The snowpack remained relatively shallow (less than
10 cm) over northwestern Kazakhstan and Russia’s Urals District, while snow
coverage and depths increased elsewhere in northern Kazakhstan and central
Russia. Farther south, colder- and drier-than-normal weather prevailed over
Uzbekistan, slowing winter wheat growth but maintaining higher-than-normal
irrigation demands.