Ukraine's Counteroffensive Hindered by Ongoing Mud Season
Retired US Air Force meteorologist David Helms is analyzing weather that might affect the war in Ukraine and publishing his forecasts on social media under the hashtag "#NAFOWeather." Helms predicts that the loss of moisture from the soil will really pick up by May 1st and beyond, which could have significant strategic meaning for a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south toward the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol. The mud season in Ukraine renders fields and unpaved roads impassable for around a month in the fall and spring, due to rain and melting snow respectively, making tanks, troop carriers, and artillery pieces all become mired down in the soggy earth.