🌾 Favorable Conditions for Winter Crops: December Overview  

In the second decade of December, agrometeorological conditions in southern and southeastern Kazakhstan were favorable for the overwintering of winter crops. According to Kazhydromet's decade review, there were no critically low temperatures that could threaten the state of the crops.

 In regions where winter grains are cultivated, the temperature background was mainly above the climatic norm. The crops remained in a state of winter dormancy. In the Almaty and Zhetysu regions, the minimum air temperature dropped to -19 to -23 degrees Celsius, while soil temperature at the depth of the tillering node ranged from -3 to -5 degrees. The soil freezing depth varied from 3 to 27 centimeters. A reliable snow cover protected the crops in these regions: in the Almaty region, the snow depth was 7–11 centimeters, increasing to 30 centimeters in Zhetysu by the end of the decade.

 In the Zhambyl and Turkestan regions, the temperature background was 1–3 degrees below the norm. The average air temperature ranged from -2 to -8 degrees Celsius, while the minimum dropped to -25 degrees in some areas. Soil temperature at the tillering node depth ranged from -1 to -7 degrees. The soil froze to a depth of 5–26 centimeters, though some areas remained unfrozen. Snow cover ranged from 8 to 28 centimeters across most regions. However, in some areas of Zhambyl, the snow depth did not exceed 5 centimeters, which could negatively impact weak winter wheat crops and reduce their winter hardiness.

 Overall, Kazhydromet assessed the condition of winter crops in southern Kazakhstan as satisfactory. The height of the snow cover in most regions creates the necessary conditions for preserving the crops during winter. However, farmers are advised to monitor areas with minimal snow cover to mitigate potential risks for the crops.