AMERICA

After a rainy weekend, Midwest corn and soybean planting has improved as drier conditions spread across the region over the next week to ten days, says Don Keeney, meteorologist with Vaisala. While the Mississippi Delta region will start out wet, it will begin to dry out later this week and should remain favourable for seeding in the coming days. Winter wheat crops in Oklahoma and Texas are too wet as storms continue to bring rain showers across the region, while in the northern Great Plains from Kansas to the Dakotas, the ground is dry and relief will not arrive until mid-May.

EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa)

Europe will be divided this week, with a cool period in the northern and central parts of the region and a warm period in the south and Mediterranean. The Nordic region is forecast to experience some of the unusually low temperatures for the time of year, with the warmest conditions forecast for the Black Sea. The area of low pressure driving the watershed will bring more rain to southern Europe.

APAC (Europe, Middle East, Africa)

There is a low risk of tropical cyclone formation in the Philippine Sea, which would make it the first typhoons of the year after a normally calm April for tropical storms. Northern China will be cooler than normal, while temperatures will be above average in most other parts of the country. The mercury will be above average across Japan. India and the United Arab Emirates will also suffer from scorching heat.