More than half of the areas in Ukraine are affected by drought

In Ukraine, during the second decade of August, the agro-meteorological conditions were heterogeneous, with varying impacts on agricultural crops.

According to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center (Ukrhydrometcentre), there was no increase in soil moisture reserves during this period due to the lack of precipitation. The upper soil layer on areas intended for planting winter crops for the 2025 harvest was either poorly moist or dry, except in the western regions. Soil drought deepened and spread. Across the country, weak dry winds occurred with wind speeds reaching up to 5 m/s or more.

"According to expert estimates, the area affected by drought across the country reached 50-60%. This resulted from a prolonged deficit of precipitation in most regions during the summer months and extremely prolonged intense heatwaves in July and August," the report explains.

The most challenging conditions, similar to the previous decade, were observed in central, southeastern, and southern regions of Ukraine, as well as in adjacent areas of other regions, where periods without effective rainfall lasted 30-60 days. An emergency situation was particularly severe in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, which experienced the highest temperatures and the lowest amounts of precipitation.

"The lack of soil moisture will most affect the planting of winter oilseed rape, which ideally should occur between August 25 and September 10," the specialists added.