North China Plain Dryness To Ease From Timely Rain
By Andrew Owen
Kansas City, June 9 (World Weather Inc.) – Weather conditions in much of China have been mostly favorable for aggressive planting and development in recent weeks. The only areas that have been drier than normal periodically have been in the North China Plain and neighboring areas of Inner Mongolia. Soil moisture is short to very short in this region today and unirrigated fields need rain. 
Timely precipitation is expected Sunday into Monday when a low pressure center advances across northern China. The rain will help alleviate some of the dryness and promote a better environment for crop development. Additional rain will still be needed later in June and July to fully restore soil moisture. Favorable conditions will continue in other sections of China through the end of next week.
Although near normal rainfall fell in May, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning, and neighboring areas in Inner Mongolia have a shortage of moisture today following some drier and warmer biased weather so far this month. The drier bias has led to greater dependency upon irrigation for normal crop development – where available. Otherwise parts of the crops in the region have become stressed and rain must fall soon to prevent that stress from negatively impacting unirrigated production potentials. The remainder of the North China Plain, and most of China, has more favorable soil conditions supporting aggressive crop development.
Topsoil conditions in much of southern China and portions of the Yangtze River Basin are excessively wet due to frequent precipitation in recent weeks. These areas received anywhere from 1.00 to 6.00 inches of rain June 1-9 with several areas in the far south receiving up to 10.75 inches. Despite the significant rain in these areas, crop growth conditions are mostly favorable. Rice and sugarcane are grown in many of these 
areas and they can handle some of the wetter biased conditions a little better than other crops. However, there is needed for drier conditions – at least for a while – to improve crop development. Other crops, like corn, cotton, soybeans and groundnuts do not usually perform well in saturated soil and the region must dry down at least temporary to improve production potentials. Some of the best field conditions in eastern China today are in the upper and middle Yellow River Basin and the far northeastern corner of the nation.
The main crops produced in the drier biased areas of the North China Plain include rice, corn, soybeans, groundnuts, cotton, and a minor amount of spring wheat. Winter wheat is also produced in the region, although it is maturing and being harvested and has benefited from the drier tendency. Unirrigated spring and summer crops will need rain soon to protect production potentials.
Brief periods of light rain will evolve in the North China Plain through Saturday. Resulting rainfall will often be too light to counter evaporation or impact soil conditions. A more generalized rain event will occur Sunday and Monday when a weak low pressure center advances across the North China Plain. Rain amounts will be high enough for short-term improvements to the soil. After the disturbance tracks away from the region, the North China Plain will return to a mostly dry bias for the remainder of 
next week. Moisture totals ending next Thursday morning will range from 0.50 to 2.00 inches for the North China Plain with local amounts of 3.00 inches or more in Hebei and Shandong. Timely rain will potentially continue June 17 – 23 that will help keep soil moisture at favorable levels for growth. An improving environment is expected for much of the North China Plain during the next two weeks.
Central and southern China will see a good mix of rain and sunshine during the next two weeks. The warm weather and periods of rain will continue to promote aggressive crop growth in most locations. Fieldwork will be sluggish in the southernmost provinces during the next seven days. Rain amounts during the second week could be enough to slow or delay fieldwork in several portions of the Yellow and Yangtze River Basins.
Northeastern China will see a good mix of rain and sunshine during the next two weeks as well. Most areas will receive 0.75 to 3.50 inches of rain by next Thursday morning, which will help keep soil moisture rated favorably in most areas. Fieldwork will often be slowed due to the frequent precipitation. Crop growth conditions will otherwise be favorable.
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