In the first ten days of August 2016, rather hot weather conditions dominated in Ukraine with quite irregular rainfalls. In most oblasts, the maximum temperature indices were slightly lower compared with the third ten-day period of July, however for 4-6 days in the north-western part of the country, and almost every day in the southeast, the indices exceeded +30°, and reached +33…38°C. Some short periods of moderate warm weather were observed only after coming of cold weather front from the west, followed with storm rains. In terms of the general deficit of precipitations, record heavy showers (40-55 mm) with hails and squalls took place in many raions.
Duration of sunshine to the ground surface varied within 90-120 hours, which exceeded the standard level by 10-30 hours in all oblasts.
The average air temperature exceeded the standard level in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts by 1.5-2.5° and totaled +20…22°C, while in the remaining oblasts the temperature index grew by 3-4.5° compared with the standard, and totaled +23…27°C.
In the warmest days the maximum air temperature reached +33-34°C in western and northern oblasts, +36-38°C in Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, southern and eastern oblasts. During 1-4 days, the air temperature indices in western and northern oblasts exceeded the level of +30°, and for 5-10 days – in the remaining oblasts. In the south-eastern part of the country the maximum temperature indices exceeded +35°C for 1-7 days.
In the coolest nights the minimum air temperature decreased to +11…16°C in steppe, Poltava, Kharkiv and Chernivtsi oblasts, but in the remaining oblasts - +6…9°C.
At the coldest nights, the soil surface temperature in steppe, Poltava, Kharkiv and Chernivtsi oblasts decreased to +10…16°C, while in the remaining territory of Ukraine - +5…9°, and in the warmest days the index grew to +50…68°.
During 1-4 days, Ukraine faced precipitations of varying intensity throughout whole territory of the country, sometimes with squalls, thunderstorms and hail. In western and northern oblasts the average precipitation level varied within 5-52% of the ten-day standard (1-14 mm), while in the remaining territory of the country the precipitation level reached 60-214% of the standard (9-47 mm).
In Chernivtsi, Cherkasy, Rozdilna, Serbka, Odessa, Kirovohrad, Znamianka, Veselîi Podil and Poltava there was observed the maximum volume of precipitations in the reporting period (over three ten-day periods) - 29-64 mm; but in Kobeliaky, Chyhyryn, Komisarivka and Voznesensk the index even exceeded five ten-day periods (580-650%) - 50-71 mm. At the same time, in some raions of western, northern and southern oblasts there were no precipitations at all.
In some raions of Cherkasy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Odessa oblasts, the daily maximum of precipitations reached 34-63 mm (2-4.5 ten-day standards).
The average soil temperature at the depth of 10 cm totaled +22…25°C in Polesye oblasts, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv and Chernivtsi oblasts, but in the remaining oblasts - +26…30°.
Relative humidity of the air varied within the range of 53-63% in southern, Dnipropetrovsk, Rivne and Donetsk oblasts, but in the remaining oblasts - 60-75%. During 1-3 days, the index declined to 30% or even below in north-western oblasts of the country, and during 4-7 days – in the remaining oblasts.
Development of rather hot and dry weather with ineffective showers in many oblasts led to the growth of the crop areas covered by drought and early ending of the vegetation period of late agricultural crops. The most difficult conditions were in southern oblasts, where due to high air and soil temperatures almost meter layer of soil became completely dry. At the same time, in the raions which faced some uneven rains, moistening level of the soil improved, including the conditions for late crops.
According to expert estimations, there will be no any significant decreasing of the harvest volumes of late crops, including corn, sunflower seed and soybeans, since the crop is almost formed. The condition of agricultural crops areas was mainly good and satisfactory.
The weather conditions for further development of agricultural crops in August 2016 in Ukraine are good and satisfactory.
According to data of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center
