Moisture conditions are favorable for wheat germination in this region, but drier weather will be needed soon to help dry down corn, sunflowers, and other summer crops prior to harvesting. Light showers also lingered over the mountains of eastern Turkey, increasing local irrigation levels. Farther east, warm, dry weather persisted over Iran, further stressing immature winter wheat. Following favorable overwintering conditions, this was the first significant rain event so far this spring. The rain also increased topsoil moisture for summer crop planting.
Timely rain is needed for proper crop establishment.
The showers were probably excessive for filling to maturing winter crops. Temperatures averaged 1 to 2 degrees C below normal across most of China and near normal in Manchuria. In central Argentina, mostly dry weather favored summer crop harvesting. However, this region grows virtually no soybeans and the other major summer crops were either mature or harvested. The freeze in southern Buenos Aires arrived about a week or two earlier than normal.