Spring weather favoured grain vegetation in the Iberian Peninsula. In the rest of Western Europe it created a lot of concern until the weekend of Easter. March and the first two decades of April were very dry. Temperatures in March were cold with frost at night. April turned very warm for the time of the year, but night frosts continued in many parts. Since the Easter weekend beneficial rains improved the look of the crops very much. Exceptions were South Germany, Austria and their neighbours Czech Rep., Slovakia and Hungary, where it remained too dry till the end of the month.

06 May, 2003