Warm spell leaves European winter crops exposed

Unseasonably warm weather across large swathes of Europe in late December and through most of January has reduced snow cover and roused European grain crops from their winter dormancy, leaving them highly susceptible to any sudden and extreme drop in temperatures. While it is far too early to ring alarm bells, the crop does remain susceptible in the absence of adequate soil moisture and a snow layer to shield the crop. Damage to date has been minimal, and a gradual temperature decrease will allow the plant to rebuild some hardiness. Nevertheless, the most feared scenario is a repeat of the 2011-12 season, when a cold snap in February extensively damaged French crops and slashed grain production. Most of Europe saw relatively cold weather in the first 18 days of December, but this was quickly followed by an unexpected transition to much warmer weather, with some parts of the continent registering temperature records over the New Year period. In the central German state of ...