In the second ten-day period of January, agrometeorological conditions for wintering winter crops in Kazakhstan were satisfactory. No critical air or soil temperatures dangerous for overwintering crops were observed, according to Kazhydromet's ten-day review.
During this period, the air temperature anomaly in the south and southeast of the republic was positive, reaching +1 to +5°C, with only the Zhetisu region experiencing an anomaly of -1 to -2°C. In winter wheat-growing areas, precipitation was generally above normal, with only the Zhetisu region experiencing precipitation below normal. Winter grain crops remained dormant.
In the Almaty region, in winter wheat-growing areas, minimum air temperatures dropped to -18 to -22°C, with the minimum temperature at the tillering node of winter wheat reaching -6°C. In winter wheat cultivation areas, precipitation was above normal, ranging from 9-13 mm (133-159% of normal). Snow depth increased to 8-13 cm, with soil freezing depths of 18-45 cm.
In Zhetisu Oblast, in winter grain cultivation areas, minimum air temperatures dropped to -24-28°C, with soil freezing depths of 23-35 cm. Snow depths ranged from 7-17 cm, with soil freezing depths of 23-35 cm. Precipitation was below normal, ranging from 1-5 mm (up to 50% of normal).
In Zhambyl Oblast, winter wheat crops saw minimum air temperatures of -12-19°C, with soil temperatures at the tillering node depths of 3°C. Precipitation was generally above average, with 16-29 mm (198-235% of the norm), resulting in a snow cover of 10-14 cm. On the last day of the ten-day period, the soil was frozen mostly to a depth of 3-18 cm, but remained thawed in places.
In winter grain cultivation areas of the Turkestan region, the minimum air temperature was -5 to -11°C, with the minimum temperature at the tillering node of winter wheat being -3°C. The soil was mostly thawed, with only some areas frozen to a depth of 1-3 cm, and the snow cover depth was 9-11 cm. Precipitation was generally above the long-term average, with 15-35 mm (108-206% of the norm).