A new wave of extreme frosts moving into Ukraine starting this Saturday, combined with insufficient snow cover, could create serious risks for winter crops across most of the country. This is according to a forecast by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, reported by ProAgro Group.

The most dangerous zone stretches across central regions — from southern Vinnytsia through Cherkasy, Kryvyi Rih, Poltava, and toward Dnipro. In these areas temperatures are expected to drop to -23…-28°C with little or no snow cover (3–5 cm), significantly increasing the risk of winter crop damage.

In northern and western Ukraine, snow cover is present but highly uneven. This means fields may experience mixed conditions: some crops will remain protected, while others could suffer damage due to local snow deficits.

In southern regions, frosts are forecast to be milder — around -15…-20°C — however risks remain elevated there as well due to limited or absent snow cover.

Analysts warn of potentially serious consequences for the upcoming winter crop harvest. A final assessment of crop conditions will only be possible after the frost period ends.

As previously reported, by the end of the second ten-day period of January, agrometeorological conditions for winter crop overwintering were generally satisfactory. Most planted areas were covered by 5–15 cm of snow, while western and northern regions had snow depths of 16–38 cm. Such snow cover reliably protected the root systems of winter crops.