WORLD AGRICULTURAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

September 12 , 2001

UNITED STATES: August featured a turn toward more favorable weather for corn and soybeans in the Midwest, as cooler conditions and frequent showers replaced an early-month heat wave. Cooler, wetter weather arrived on the central and southern Plains toward month's end, too late for many summer crops, but in time to boost soil moisture in preparation for winter wheat planting. On the northern Plains, hot, dry weather favored small grain maturation and harvesting, but depleted soil moisture reserves. In contrast, hot, dry weather abruptly yielded to heavy rainfall during the last week of August across the South, especially from eastern Texas to the Delta. The Southern rain halted fieldwork and adversely affected open-boll cotton and other unharvested summer crops. Meanwhile in the West, hot, dry conditions intensified during August, hampering wildfire containment efforts and further straining drought-reduced irrigation reserves.

CANADA: Since early August, unseasonably warm, dry weather in Alberta and Saskatchewan hastened spring crop maturation and dry down and favored rapid harvesting. In contrast, periodic rain lowered crop quality and hampered early fieldwork in Manitoba. In eastern Canada, late-August showers brought limited relief to previously stressed corn and soybeans.

SOUTH AMERICA: In central Argentina, widespread, above-normal August rainfall boosted soil moisture for vegetative winter wheat and for upcoming summer crop planting. However, the heavy rainfall exacerbated earlier wheat planting delays in Buenos Aires. In early September, freezing temperatures burned back vegetative wheat in the south. In southern Brazil, drier August weather eased wetness and favored immature winter wheat in the south. Elsewhere in Brazil, unseasonably heavy rain boosted pre-planting moisture for summer crops, but slowed late coffee, sugarcane, and orange harvesting.

EUROPE: In August and early September, above-normal temperatures and near-normal rainfall in northern Europe aided winter grain harvesting and maintained favorable conditions for filling summer crops. Unseasonably hot, dry weather in eastern Romania and eastern Bulgaria stressed summer crops, while mostly favorable weather prevailed elsewhere in southeastern Europe. Showers maintained adequate moisture supplies for filling corn and sunflowers in northern Italy and northern Spain, while drier weather farther south aided maturation.

FSU-WESTERN: I n August, chronic dryness and periodic heat continued to reduce yield prospects for corn and sunflowers in Ukraine and Russia, but favored rapid small grain harvesting. Since late August, widespread light to moderate showers fell in Ukraine and Russia, arriving too late to significantly improve prospects for summer crops, but providing topsoil moisture for planting the 2002 winter grain crop.

FSU-NEWLANDS: In major spring grain producing areas of Russia and north-central Kazakstan, near- to above-normal precipitation in August favored spring grains in the filling stage of development. Since late August, cool, showery weather slowed early spring grain harvesting in north central Kazakstan and Urals, Russia, while several days of dry weather favored fieldwork in Siberia.

MIDDLE EAST AND TURKEY: During August, above-normal temperatures maintained high summer crop irrigation demands. Scattered showers benefited summer crops and boosted irrigation levels across northern sections of Turkey and Iran.

SOUTH ASIA: During August, heavy monsoon showers caused flooding in major eastern rice areas. Unseasonable dryness continued to plague southern India, limiting moisture for oilseed and cotton development. In the northwest, dry weather favored maturing cotton and rice, but showers returned in early September. .

EASTERN ASIA: In August, below-normal rainfall returned to most of the North China Plain and the central Yangtze Valley, stressing rainfed summer crops. The drier, sunny weather, however, favored filling to maturing irrigated summer crops, especially cotton. In most of Manchuria, near- to above-normal August rainfall favored summer crop development. Above-normal rainfall maintained moisture supplies across southeastern China and in the Sichuan Basin. Near- to below-normal rainfall eased excessive wetness across the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. In central Japan, above-normal August rainfall, partly due to a mid-August typhoon, caused some flooding and slowed rice maturation.

SOUTHEAST ASIA: In August, warm, dry weather favored corn harvesting in central Thailand, while showers in the north and east favored main-season rice. Tropical Storm Usagi brought heavy rains to the northern half of Vietnam. In southern Vietnam, heavy rains along the Mekong River caused flooding, with minor losses to summer-autumn rice. Near-normal rainfall maintained moisture supplies for main-season rice in the Philippines and oil palm in peninsular Malaysia. Moisture supplies were adequate in Java, Indonesia for irrigated rice.

AUSTRALIA: Showers improved winter crop prospects in the southeast and in southern portions of Western Australia. More rain is needed elsewhere as winter crops advance through reproduction. In Queensland, early-September showers improved local summer crop prospects.