ADMS

The Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation - State Research Institute in accordance with an Act from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed the climatic water balance for all Polish municipalities (3,064 municipalities), and based on the soils categories have identified in those municipalities the current agricultural drought risk for the following crops: winter and spring cereals, corn for grain and silage, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, tobacco, field vegetables, shrubs and fruit trees, strawberries and legumes.

In the eleventh reporting period, i.e. from July 11 to September 10, 2014, IUNG-PIB state a risk of agricultural drought in Poland.

Drought occurs for legumes grown on soils of category I (very light).

The threat of drought for legumes during the current sixty days period is smaller than in the previous period and covers 0.1 % of the arable Polish land, gathered in 74 local districts (2.4% of country local districts). Drought for legumes occurs in three voivodeship:

The values of climatic water balance (CWB), which are the basis to assess the risk of drought in most Polish areas, are negative.

The lowest values of CWB, occurred in a similar area as in previous reporting periods. In the current reporting period, these values were approx. 20 mm higher than the previous ones. In the Toruń Basin and in Lower Wisła Valley, these values ranged from -130 to -139 mm. The low CWB values were noted in Chełmiński Lakeland, Świecka Uplands, in the Iława Lake District, in areas of Chodzieskiego and Gniezno Lake District, from -110 to -129 mm. Such low values of CWB in the current period under consideration sixty days period meant that in this area there is a risk of drought for legumes.

In other areas of northern Poland also were noted relatively low value of CWB, ranging from -60 to -109 mm.

The highest values of CWB, similar to previous ten days period, amounting to approximately -50 mm were recorded over a large part of the country in the southern Poland.

Potential evapotranspiration in the current sixty days period in the country, compared to the previous reporting period, has been reduced by 22 mm on average, while the precipitation was relatively high (especially in the western part of the country). This pattern of weather meant that the CWB for the country have increased by an average of 16 mm.

This year's July was very warm. The warmest was t in the Wielkopolska Lowland, where the air temperature in the area even exceeds 22°C. The rest of the Poland was also very warm, in central Poland temperature was over 21°C, and in the north and east of the country recorded a temperature of 19 to 21°C. Only in the mountains was a bit cooler around. 15-18°C. In terms of temperature, July this year relatively to the long-term average, should be regarded as extremely warm, in Wielkopolska and Kujawy air temperature was higher by more than 4°C, the rest of the country was also much warmer than the long term average, from 2 to 4°C.

The first ten days period of August was another very warm period of the current sixty days period. To the west of the Wisła river, air temperature ranged from 20.5 to 21.5°C, only the north and south of the area was a bit cooler with temperatures being less than 20.5°C. In contrast, east of the Wisła river was warmer temperature were from 21.5°C to above 22.5°C (warmest was in the eastern part of the country).

In the second ten days of August in the country it was definitely cooler, yet only in the south-eastern part of the Poland, air temperature was 17.5-18.5°C, and in most parts recorded from 15.5-17.5°C.

The third ten days of August has been all over the country definitely very cold, the air temperature ranged from 13.5°C Podlasie Lowland and the Suwalki Lake District to 15.5°C in the Silesian Lowland.

The first ten days of September thermally varied considerably. Low temperature of below 13.5 to 14°C occurred in the north-east, in the south western parts have significantly increased, reaching in the southern parts of the country even more than 17°C.

July was characterized by a great diversity in terms of precipitation. On the northern Polish territory rainfall was relatively small, from 40 to 80 mm, which accounted for 40 to 90% of long-term norm. In contrast, the area of the southern Poland precipitation was much higher, ranging from 80 to 200 mm, accounted for 100-130% of long-term norm. In the mountains the rainfall was even higher and ranged from 200 to 400 mm. The Świętokrzyskie Mountains, in the Sandomierz Basin, the Carpathian Foothills and in the Beskidy rainfall standards have been greatly exceeded, from 150 to 200%.

The first ten days of August was characterized by considerable diversity in terms of precipitation. On the majority of the country rainfall ranged from 10 to 50 mm and wherein approx. for half of this area rainfall was ranging from 25 to 50 mm. The highest values of rainfall was recorded in the Mazowsze Lowland, in the south-western regions of the Mazury Lake District and the Karpaty Foothills and Western Beskidy Mountains, rainfall in these areas ranged from 50 to 100 mm. Throughout the country there have been relatively small areas with very low rainfall amounting to less than 10 mm. The areas include: Suwalskie and Starogardzkie Lake District, Bory Tucholskie, Śląska and Lublin Upland, Foothills: Rzeszów, Dynowskie and Przemyskie.

In the second ten days of August in the north-western and south-eastern Poland rainfall were very heavy, ranged from 25 to 100 mm. Less rainfall was recorded in a broad belt from the southwest to the northeast, in the area reported rainfall ranged from 10 to 25 mm, with the exception of Wielkopolska, where they were less than 10 mm.

The third decade of August was characterized by high precipitation in south-eastern part of Poland with more than 50 mm, and in the area where is the largest water deficit, rainfall was much smaller, they amounted to less than 10 mm.

The first ten days of September was a period of very little rainfall in eastern Poland, where they were even less than 10 mm and significantly higher in the western parts of the country, amounting to more than 50 mm.