Agrometeorology: instead of cooling down, the May frosts will bring precipitation this year

By: STA Date: 2023. 05. 11. 10:20

Instead of cooling down, this year’s frosts in May will bring precipitation, but the rain is much needed, because in the first decade of the month, less rain fell than usual in the majority of the country, the National Meteorological Service wrote in its agrometeorological analysis on Thursday.

(Photo: Pixabay)

They wrote that in the first ten days of May, less rain fell in most parts of the country than usual, and in Transdanubia there was 5-15 millimeters of rain in a large area, so the near-surface layer of the soil was quite dry. The maximum temperature was between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius, and in the morning the air cooled below 10 degrees, but on Tuesday morning it was colder than 5 degrees in many places.

The weather has a good effect on the plants

The autumn crops are in good condition, the winter wheat is in the phase around the appearance of the flag leaf, the barley is already earing, and the canola is in full bloom. Sufficient moisture is available to them in the soil, the temperature is more or less suitable, sudden high heat would not be ideal. At the same time, due to the persistent wetness of the leaves in recent weeks, pathogens also multiplied rapidly. The sowing of summer crops was delayed due to the cold and then a lot of rain, but most of the sunflowers and corn are already in the ground, and the small plants are already lining up in more and more places. Most of the fruits are past flowering, the fruiting stages are already developing.

The value of the latest vegetation index for the end of April and the beginning of May, showing the “greenness” of the surface, is constantly increasing

The rate of growth decreased compared to the previous period. However, the value of the index is still higher than the long-term average across the country, with the exception of the forests of the central mountains, where the vegetation is lagging behind due to the cooler weather in April. In the continuation, a series of Mediterranean cyclones will reach the country, so the weather will turn rainy, in the next week in Transdanubia and in the central part of the country, it is likely to exceed 50 millimeters of precipitation, but 20-30 millimeters may also fall in many places in Tiszántúl. The temperature does not drop significantly, but it still remains below the usual values for this time: the minimums are around 10 degrees, and the maximums are between 15 and 20 degrees, it will be cooler in permanently overcast and rainy landscapes.

MTI