Rains expected in European Russia on Aug 16-18

MOSCOW Aug 16 (Reuters) - Rains are expected on Aug.16-18 in drought-hit European Russia, and while they are unlikely to soften crop damage they may improve conditions for winter grain sowing, the Russian weather forecasting service said on Monday.

"The strength of the rains is not clear, I'm not sure they will be able to overcome the anticyclone. And they will end soon," Anna Strashnaya, head of the Agricultural Forecasts Department at Rosgidromet weather forecasting service, told Reuters.

Strashnaya was referring to the anticyclone which has been holding hot dry weather over European Russia for more than a month.

"Grains are ripe, but there could still be damage to oilseeds and sugar beets. I feel a little more optimistic about the winter sowing though," she said.

Last week, the director of the Hydrometcentre, Roman Vilfand, said that there would be insufficient rains for the start of winter grain sowings until September. [ID:nLDE67B0OX]

Rains are expected in the northwestern and the central part of European Russia and in the Volga region and in the North Caucasus, the service said on its website meteoinfo.ru.

In the rest of the southern part of the European Russia hot weather will continue with temperatures of between +39 and +42 degrees Celsius (102.2-107.6 Fahrenheit), it said.

Rains are also expected in Siberia and in the country's far east, the service said, without providing temperatures.

The threat of new fires will remain strong in almost all parts of European Russia and in the southern part of the Urals. (Reporting by Aleksandras Budrys; editing by Lidia Kelly and Keiron Henderson) (aleksandras.budrys@reuters.com; +7 495 775 1242; Reuters Messaging: aleksandras.budrys.reuters.com@reuters.net))