Global Crop Watch

Global Crop Watch Summary, January 17, 2003. Warm and dry weather favored Argentina, while central Brazil was favored by rain.  Drought returned to eastern Australia.  In the US, snow fell across the southern plains, the southern Corn Belt, and the middle-to-southeast.  While some rain reached South Africa's corn belt, the moisture situation remains guarded.

Northwestern Africa - A Good Start To The Growing Season.  Rainfall so-far during January has been frequent and plentiful for Morocco's winter grains.  Tunisia and Algeria, which were becoming too dry, received widespread and heavy rainfall this week.

Northwestern Africa.  Rainfall was widespread across Northwestern Africa, easing dryness across Algeria and Tunisia, as well as, maintaining very good winter grain conditions across Morocco.

Australia - Sorghum Growing Area Map.  Most of Australia's Sorghum production is from Queensland and north central New South Wales.  Planting usually winds down by mid-January.

Australia - Cumulative Precipitation for the 7 days ending January 16, 2003.  After receiving much needed rain across Queensland and New South Wales, dry and hot weather returned to eastern Australia's major summer crop growing areas.

Australia - January Cumulative Precipitation through mid-month.  This map of rainfall during the first 16 days of January, 2003, shows the heavy and beneficial rain that fell during the first nine days of January across southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Europe & Asia Snow Cover Map - January 15, 2003.  This map shows the heavy snow cover protecting winter grains across Ukraine and western Russia.  Note that the North China Plain is devoid of protective snow.

North America Snow Cover - January 15, 2003.  This map is a snap shot of snow cover before the widespread snow of  January 16 and 17.  Some snow fell across Kansas and Nebraska, during these days and more is expected for this weekend.  Heavier snow fell across Tennessee and the southern Corn Belt. 

United States - 7 Day Cumulative Precipitation Map for the week ending January 15, 2003.  Heavy precipitation continued across N. California and the Pacific Northwest.  Texas was also moist.  Heavy "lake affect" snow occurred across New York and New England.  The snow of January 16 and 17, across the southern plains, the southern Corn Belt, and the southeast,  is not shown on this map.