March 2025: One of the Warmest Months in Ukraine
In March 2025, the temperature across most of Ukraine was recorded as one of the highest in the history of meteorological observations.
This is reported by AgroReview
This information was provided by specialists from the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center. The average daily air temperature exceeded +5 °C in the first decade of March, which occurred 3-4 weeks earlier than the long-term average. For the southern regions and Transcarpathia, this transition happened 1-2 weeks earlier.
Such favorable temperature conditions contributed to the early growth and rooting of winter crops, as well as their subsequent growth and development. According to observations, in certain areas of western and northeastern Ukraine, as well as in Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions (13-44% of samples), a slight thinning of crops was recorded, not exceeding 10% of dead plants, which corresponds to natural thinning. In winter rapeseed, this figure was 11-20% of dead plants in 13-38% of samples in Chernihiv and Ternopil regions, while in winter rye, it was 12% of samples in Chernihiv region.
The high air temperatures throughout March caused rapid drying and warming of the upper layers of soil. This allowed for the early start of selective spring fieldwork, including the sowing of early spring crops and peas. By the end of the month, in the southern and central regions, germination of seeds and the emergence of early spring crops were already observed in early sowings. Thanks to the warm weather, effective heat accumulation occurred, but active growth was not yet noted due to low nighttime temperatures.
As of March 31, the upper layer of soil in most areas remained predominantly well-moistened. However, in some areas of the southern, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Rivne regions, weak moisture levels were observed, and in some places in Kherson region, even dryness. In Chernihiv region, a significant amount of precipitation in March led to overmoistening of the upper soil layers. According to observations, the temperature of the 10-cm soil layer (+8-13 °C) allowed for timely sowing of all early grain crops.
The moisture supply in the one-meter soil layer across most areas was satisfactory and sufficient. However, in certain areas of Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions, the reserves of productive moisture were historically low for the beginning of the spring period. The depth of spring soil saturation varied from 35 to 150 cm.
It should be noted that precipitation contributed to replenishing soil moisture reserves, improving conditions for the growth and development of agricultural crops.