brazil corn
Record cold temperatures for the end of April. Farmers worry the next blast could be even colder. Safrinha corn needs to be frost free until at least early June to avoid potential damage.

28 April - According to the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorologia, temperatures in the higher elevations of the state of Santa Catarina fell to -1.1°C (30°F) on Thursday morning.

Temperatures all across southern Brazil are expected to set record lows below 10°C (50°F) for the next several nights in all of three state capitals including Curitiba in Parana, Florianopolis in Santa Catarina, and Porto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul. The low temperatures Friday night in the state of Parana could drop to -5°C (23°F) in higher elevations with the possibility of frosts across the state until Sunday night.

Even if there is not a killing frost, the cold is not good news for safrinha corn. (For a killing frost to occur, the temperatures need to drop to 27°F to 28°F for three hours.)

The cold will slow development of the corn making it more susceptible to a future freezes. Farmers are concerned about just how early these cold temperatures have arrived.

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