December 16-22, 2012 International Weather and Crop Highlights and Summaries provided by USDA/WAOB

Europe - wet and mild
 

Wet, mild weather maintained generally favourable conditions for winter grains and oilseeds. After last week's cold, snowy weather, milder weather in central and eastern Europe melted much of the region's protective snow cover. A fresh blanket of snow fell on this region by week's end; however, offering recently exposed crops renewed protection from potential incursions of bitter cold. Meanwhile, a series of Atlantic storms maintained periods of locally heavy rain (10-75 mm) from France and the United Kingdom into southern Italy and the Balkans. The rain boosted soil moisture reserves for dormant winter crops in northern and southeastern Europe and favoured vegetative winter wheat in Italy and along the Mediterranean Coast. Light to moderate showers (2-10 mm) also fell across the Iberian Peninsula, where the winter growing season has featured consistent rainfall for emerging to vegetative winter wheat and barley.

CIS - Bitter cold maintained a heightened risk of winterkill of exposed winter grains in Russia
 

Bitter cold weather persisted, threatening exposed winter grains in central and eastern growing areas. A strong artic high pressure area remained entrenched over central and northern Europe, maintaining bitter cold weather (locally more than 10°C below normal) over much of the region. Snow fell in Belarus, Ukraine, and southern portions of the Southern District in Russia, affording dormant winter crops generally sufficient insulation from the elements. However, some elevated fields may have been swept clear by the strong winds, causing some exposure to frost scorch and winterkill. Farther east, winter wheat remained exposed to the arctic blast in the southern Volga (-25 to -20°C) and northern Southern Districts (-21 to -18°C), likely resulting in additional frost scorch and winterkill.

Middle East - Heavy rain and high-elevation snow persisted from Turkey into northern Iran, favoring winter wheat and barley.
 

Stormy weather persisted across the region, maintaining favourable prospects for vegetative winter grains. Locally heavy rain and mountain snow in Turkey boosted moisture reserves for wheat and barley, while increasingly heavy downpours  vegetative winter grains from Syria into northern Jordan. In Iraq and Iran, light to moderate rain and snow (5-50 mm liquid equivalent) arrived in northern winter wheat and barley districts, maintaining favourable winter crop prospects. Seasonably colder weather (weekly average temperatures below 5°C) ushered winter grains into dormancy from central Turkey into western and northern Iran, while crops added vegetative growth across the southern half of the region.

North West Africa -  Sunny skies favored winter wheat and barley establishment after a wetter-than-normal autumn.

Dry weather continued across the region, promoting winter grain development. After an exceptionally wet autumn (200- 300 percent of normal) in western growing areas, a second week of sunny skies promoted fieldwork and crop development. Light showers (2-10 mm) were reported in northeastern Algeria and northern Tunisia, maintaining favourable soil moisture for winter wheat and barley. Temperatures averaged up to 4°C above normal, accelerating crop growth following an extended spell of cooler-than normal weather.

Southeast Asia - Rain in Java, Indonesia, benefited vegetative rice.
 

Showers (50-100 mm) in western Java, Indonesia, maintained favourable moisture conditions for vegetative rice as seasonal (since November 1) rainfall totals remained near normal. In central Java, however, a relatively dry week increased seasonal deficits for rice, and more consistent rain is needed to ensure normal crop development. Meanwhile in eastern Java, showers increased as the monsoon became established (nearly 3 weeks behind schedule). Weekly rainfall totals over 50 mm provided a significant boost to moisture supplies and improved prospects for rice in this part of Java. Elsewhere in the region, seasonably wet weather prevailed in the eastern Philippines, slowing some harvest activities but maintaining favourable moisture supplies for winter rice and corn. In Vietnam, winter-spring rice transplanting continued under excellent moisture conditions.

Australia - Hot, mostly dry weather favoured winter grain harvesting in western and southeastern Australia.
 

In western and southeastern Australia, hot, mostly dry weather favoured winter grain harvesting, allowing fieldwork to progress. Elsewhere in the wheat belt, scattered showers heplped vegetative cotton and sorghum in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. The continuing showers further benefited dry land summer crops while helping to ease irrigation requirements. Temperatures in eastern Australia averaged about 1 to 3°C above normal, with maximum temperatures generally in the middle to upper 30s degrees C. In southern and western Australia, temperatures averaged near normal.

South Africa - Warm, mostly dry weather promoted development of rain-fed summer crops.
 

Warm, mostly dry weather promoted summer crop development. Throughout the region, rainfall tapered off from last week's above-normal totals, with most locations recording less than 25 mm. Amounts were below 10 mm across much of the corn belt (North West to Mpumalanga), with weekly average temperatures averaging near to slightly above normal; daytime highs ranged from the upper 20s (degrees C) in the east to the lower 30s farther west. Similar conditions prevailed in KwaZulu-Natal, fostering growth of sugarcane. Despite the drier weather, conditions were overall favourable for rain-fed summer crops in major eastern commercial production areas following recent weeks of beneficial rain. Elsewhere, scattered showers boosted irrigation reserves in eastern sections of Northern and Eastern Cape. Otherwise, mostly dry, warmer-than-normal weather (weekly temperatures averaging up to 5°C above normal, with daytime highs approaching 40°C in the warmest locations) dominated the Cape Provinces, spurring rapid growth of irrigated crops.

Argentina - Heavy rain returned to central Argentina, further disrupting corn and soybean planting.
 

Heavy rain returned to key production areas of central Argentina, maintaining a slow planting pace for corn and soybeans. Rainfall in excess of 100 mm (locally more than 200 mm) was concentrated over a large area stretching from eastern Cordoba through Entre Rios, reaching into the northeast (Corrientes and Misiones). Most other areas recorded 25 to 100 mm, including most northern agricultural delegations. However, a second week of drier weather improved prospects for fieldwork in La Pampa and western Buenos Aires. Cooler conditions accompanied the wetness in central Argentina, with weekly temperatures averaging up to 2°C below normal; however, a drying trend at week's end pushed daytime highs into the lower 30s (degrees C) over most of the region. Warmer weather prevailed across the north, with weekly average temperatures up to 3°C above normal and daytime highs reaching the 40s for several days before the onset of the rain. Most areas would welcome drier weather to enable the completion of corn and soybean harvesting and to improve conditions of unharvested winter grains. According to Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture, corn and soybeans were 74 and 77 percent planted, respectively, as of December 20, an increase of only 4 percentage points from the previous week for both crops. Winter wheat was 58 percent harvested, an increase of 13 points from last week but 11 points behind last year.

Brazil - Showers maintained levels of moisture for soybeans in southern production areas.

Unseasonably heavy rain maintained generally favourable levels of moisture for crops throughout the south. Rainfall totaled 25 to 100 mm as far north as the southern production areas of Mato Grosso, Goias, and Minas Gerais. Crops benefiting from the moisture included soybeans, corn, sugarcane, and coffee. In addition, weekly temperatures averaging 2 to 3°C above normal (daytime highs in the lower 30s degrees C) promoted summer crop growth in the absence of stressful heat. In contrast to the southern wetness, mostly dry weather dominated a large section of the northeastern interior, extending from northeastern Mato Grosso to the eastern coast; this included key soybean and cotton areas of western Bahia, Tocantins, Maranhao, and Piaui, some of which recorded rainfall below 10 mm. Unseasonable warmth (weekly temperatures averaging 2-4°C above normal, with daytime highs in the middle and upper 30s degrees C) accompanied the dryness in interior agricultural areas, reducing moisture for summer row crops. Temperatures were more seasonable along the east coast, however, where the dry weather aided harvesting of sugarcane and cocoa.

USA - above average temperatures throughout much of the United States during the week.
 

Despite a large, late-week winter storm that brought heavy snow to portions of the Midwest and Ohio Valley, temperatures throughout much of the United States were above average during the week. Most notably, portions of the Northeast and Great Lakes region recorded weekly averages more than 10°F above normal. Conversely, temperatures in the Four Corners region dipped to more than 12°F below average. While much of the Great Plains remained dry, beneficial precipitation fell across much of the country east of the Mississippi River and from the Rocky Mountains westward.