In Lviv Region, Winter Crops Are Protected from Freezing Thanks to High Snow Cover
Winter crops in the Lviv region are currently in a state of forced winter dormancy. Despite periodic drops in temperature, the main risk for the overwintering of winter grains—freezing due to severe frosts—has been significantly reduced thanks to a stable and high snow cover.
This is reported by AgroReview
Climatic Conditions of the Second Decade of January
From January 15 to 21, the region experienced intensified frosts, especially starting from January 17. At the beginning of this period, the average daily air temperature was -0.7 °C, but in the following days, from January 18 to 20, it dropped to -9.6…-9.1 °C, compared to the multi-year climatic average of -5.2 °C. The maximum air temperature was recorded at 1.2 °C (on January 15), while the minimum dropped to -14.6 °C. The temperature on the snow surface reached -20.4 °C, while at the tillering node depth, it remained at -3.6 °C (on January 20).
During this period, Lviv region received 4.4 mm of precipitation: at night, snowfalls predominated, while during the day, light precipitation in the form of drizzle was observed.
Impact of Snow Cover on the Condition of Winter Crops
In fields sown with winter crops, the snow cover height is 22–25 cm. The snow has compacted, and at a depth of 8 cm from the surface, its structure has become coarse-grained. This has partially increased the thermal conductivity of the snow, which can be attributed to the positive daytime temperatures on January 15. However, the thickness of the snow layer remains sufficient to effectively protect the plants from critically low temperatures.
“The main risk for the overwintering of winter grains—freezing due to low temperatures—is mitigated by the high snow cover.”
The depth of soil freezing currently stands at 10–13 cm, which is an acceptable indicator for the winter period. In the second decade of January, the average daily air temperature remained at -6.9 °C, compared to the multi-year average of -5.2 °C, while the total precipitation amounted to 12.4 mm, which is 103.3% of the norm.