In the first ten days of February 2026, Ukraine experienced extremely cold agrometeorological conditions. In some areas, temperatures dropped to –26…–30°C, making it one of the coldest starts to February on record, ProAgro Group reports.

According to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, winter crops were in a state of deep winter dormancy during this period.

The greatest risks to crops stemmed from a sharp decline in soil temperatures. At the depth of the tillering node (3 cm), soil temperatures fell to –16°C in the Kirovohrad Oblast, and to –11…–14°C in some districts of Poltava Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Kharkiv Oblast. Such conditions posed potential threats to winter barley, winter rapeseed, and weakly developed winter wheat crops.

At the same time, results of January regrowth tests indicate that the overall condition of crops remains mostly satisfactory. Slight thinning of winter wheat (up to 10% plant losses) was recorded only in certain areas of Kyiv Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Volyn Oblast, and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. On winter rye fields, losses of 1–10% were locally observed in Volyn Oblast, while winter rapeseed in some areas of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast showed thinning of up to 20% of plants. No damage was detected in winter barley or perennial grasses.

Soil moisture reserves across most areas were close to or above long-term average levels. However, in southern regions and parts of Sumy Oblast, moisture availability remained below normal due to prolonged precipitation deficits during autumn and winter.

Overall, despite the extreme frosts, no widespread damage to winter crops has been recorded. Nevertheless, further crop development will largely depend on weather conditions in late winter and early spring.

As previously reported, critical weather conditions in early February could still result in significant losses of winter crops in Ukraine. Preliminary estimates suggest that around 1 million hectares –nearly one-fifth of the total winter crop area – remain in the risk zone.