The heat at the beginning of August in Ukraine was caused by African air masses and reached record levels in the western regions, while the intensification of drought against this backdrop could threaten the sunflower, corn, and buckwheat harvests, as well as create unfavorable conditions for preparing the soil for sowing winter crops for the 2027 harvest, the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center reported, according to UNN.
Details
"The first ten days of August in Ukraine, compared with the climatic norm, proved to be among the warmest in the western regions in terms of the average ten-day and maximum air temperatures for the entire observation period," the report said.
Average daily air temperatures on the hottest days, as noted, "exceeded the climatic norm by 4-9 ℃".
"This temperature pattern was caused by the arrival in Ukraine of hot air masses of African origin. In the second half of the ten-day period, the movement of an active cold front through the western and northern regions caused a brief cooling in this area, uneven rainfall, and locally heavy showers accompanied by hail and squalls," the report said.
During the first ten days of August, as a result of hot weather on most days and predominantly dry conditions, atmospheric and soil drought spread and intensified, creating unfavorable agrometeorological conditions for the completion of the growing season of late agricultural crops throughout the country. In areas where reserves of available moisture had already been depleted, the growing season of late agricultural crops ended prematurely. This was also facilitated by dry winds observed across most of the country
"Such a high-temperature regime may have a particularly negative impact on the yield of sunflowers, which are in the mass flowering phase; on the formation of corn ears and grain filling; and on the amount of grain in buckwheat, which is undergoing grain formation," the report emphasizes.
In the southern regions, as noted, "premature ripening of corn grain and sunflower seeds was observed, resulting in a reduction in the weight of the grain and seeds (a decrease in productivity)".
"As a result of the adverse effect of the heat on late agricultural crops, loss of turgor (wilting of plants) during the daytime and drying of plants were observed; leaves and ovaries fell off, while sunscald appeared on the leaves and fruit," the report states.
In most regions, the prolonged precipitation deficit throughout the summer created unfavorable conditions for preparing the soil for sowing winter crops for the 2027 harvest. First and foremost, winter rapeseed, whose optimal sowing period falls between August 10 and 25
Heat in Ukraine broke records in 13 regions, with a maximum of +39°07.08.26, 13:20