According to the Rio Grande do Sul Institute of Rice (IRGA), the 2017/18 crop was affected by the rains of September and October, and then by the abrupt rainfall in November. Afterwards, a better period was observed, with a lot of solar radiation, an important factor for rice cultivation.
However, February was marked by below-average rainfall throughout the state, with the West region showing the highest precipitation anomalies in relation to Normal Climatology.
In addition to the scarcity of rainfall, the occurrence of hail also brought damage to some crops, in addition to the off-season cold. On 13/02, the minimum temperature recorded at the Jaguarão weather station was only 8.1 ° C. Parts of the South and Campaign regions suffered damage to rice crops caused by this cold episode.
With the beginning of the rice harvest in March and extending through April, due to the delay in sowing, the ideal for the crops would be the occurrence of dry weather. However, as autumn approaches, it is expected that there are frontal systems passing through the South of Brazil with more frequency (on average 1 per week). Thus, the chances of rainfall and also entry of colder air masses, which in years under the influence of La Niña, are expected in advance.