Argentine heat wave to damage crops before next rains, expert says

Argentina's soybean and corn crops will have to endure a heat wave over the next few days that will affect their yields, leading meteorologist German Heinzenknecht said on Monday, before rains bring some relief by the start of the weekend.

Argentina, a major world supplier of soy, corn and wheat, has seen its main agricultural region face a prolonged dry spell since the onset of the Southern Hemisphere's summer last month.

Heinzenknecht, a meteorologist at the CCA climate consultancy, predicted that a front of rain would come in on Friday, ushering in the start of a normalization in rainfall.

"This is the toughest week," Heinzenknecht said, forecasting highs of 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) and up to 40 C (104 F) in some parts of the country.

"Adding in the lack of water, as it hasn't rained in the core agricultural zone since Dec. 23, its an explosive combination," he said.

While Heinzenknecht predicted some 25 to 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) of rainfall across some parts of the key agricultural heartlands on Friday, he said the rainfall would not be even and would come too late to avert damage to crop yields.

"I don't think the crops will come through unscathed," Heinzenknecht said.

The country's Rosario grains exchange currently expects it will produce some 53 million to 53.5 million metric tons of soy and 50 million to 53 million tons of corn this season. Argentina is the world's top exporter of soybean oil and meal and the third-largest supplier of corn.

Heinzenknecht said the rains could mark a change in weather patterns that would see more normal rainfall through February.

"The situation will become more normal as the summer progresses," he said. "There is light at the end of the tunnel."