Drew Lerner, Author at World Weather

South Africa Rain Will Maintain Favorable Late-Season Growth

Kansas City, April 9 (World Weather Inc.) – An erratic rainfall pattern in South Africa recently has brought on some firmer soil conditions. That is a good environment for crops maturing and being harvested. For some of the immature crops there is still some favorable subsoil moisture and some periodic showers that have helped to perpetuate a mostly good environment for late season crops and farming activity. A timely boost in precipitation is advertised for this coming week and the precipitation should help late season crops finish off in a favorable manner. The rain is not likely to be great enough to seriously threaten crop quality and the overall yields for the nation are still looking good.

Mainland SE Asia, Philippines Need Rain; El Nino Is A Concern

Kansas City, April 9 (World Weather Inc.) – Mainland Southeast Asia and a large section of the Philippines experienced drier or much-drier-than-usual conditions in recent weeks. While many of these areas do not receive abundant rain at this time of year, the rain was not enough to limit aggressive drying. Planting of the main-season rice, corn, and other grains and oilseeds usually begins ahead of the southwest monsoon in April and May. With the ground already too dry for ideal establishment and limited rainfall for the next week to ten days, producers may wait for increased rainfall before planting a significant amount of crop. The onset of El Nino over the summer may also impact production for much of Southeast Asia as an El Nino environment tends to reduce overall rainfall. The impact may be significant for some rice, sugarcane, oil palm, rubber, tea, coffee and many other crops especially if it is a significant El Nino of both intensity and duration.

Brazil Safrinha Corn Dryness To Be Partially Relieved

Kansas City, April 9 (World Weather Inc.) – Timely rainfall has supported a well-established Safrinha corn crop in Brazil this year; however, dryness evolved in southern production areas and that has the marketplace a little concerned about production. That region, however, has opportunity for rain to fall in late April and May whereas northern production areas are not likely to get much moisture once the monsoon season ends. Southern corn areas can get post-monsoonal rainfall in late April and May from mid-latitude frontal systems leaving some potential for better rainfall in that region. In the meantime, the coming week of rain in Brazil will help some of the drier crop improve prior to the withdrawal of the summer monsoon.

Northwest Africa Will See Timely Rain Return

Kansas City, April 9 (World Weather Inc.) – Several winter grain and oilseed areas in Morocco were a little drier than usual during the past month. The main production areas received significant precipitation earlier in the season and there was enough moisture in storage to maintain relatively favorable growth despite some drying in recent weeks. Erratic rainfall will return through the middle of next week and potentially into the second-week of the outlook, which should improve or maintain favorable conditions for at least the short-term. Algeria and Tunisia received near to above normal precipitation in recent weeks and will receive additional rain in the coming days as well. Overall production potentials remain favorable, especially in Morocco now that the drought has largely been erased.