MARS: Cold snap with manageable frost damage In its latest February edition of 2021, the Agrometeorological Institute of the EU Commission (MARS) analyzed the previous climate data from Dec 2020 to Jan 2021. The recent cold snap could only be recorded in its beginnings. Therefore, some reservations are needed. MARS distinguishes three cold waves:
- The first cold spell at the beginning of January 21 with a focus on Great Britain and Southwest Europe
- A second cold wave followed around Jan 18, 2021 with a focus on Poland and the Baltic States
- The third cold shock between February 7th and 15th affected northern Europe, northern Poland, Germany, the Benelux countries and northern France as well as Hungary and Turkey for a short time. The lowest temperatures for years were measured with a high snow cover.
MARS only expects major frost damage in a few regions: in parts of western Germany, eastern France, Hungary, south-eastern Europe and Turkey. These are predominantly regions without significant snow cover and in which the frost tolerance of the plants was poorly developed due to the previously warmer conditions before the cold snap. According to MARS estimates, some frost damage may have occurred in western Germany and eastern France , which was mainly a result of the lack of frost resistance and the regional lack of a protective layer of snow. However, the expected level of damage is estimated to be low, as the minimum temperatures in these regions did not fall below -15 ° C. A winter-related reduction in the increased acreage in France and Germany as well as stable figures in Poland are estimated to have hardly any measurable effects on the harvest result. A significant impairment of the EU harvest is not expected.
