HDR101200019001 FL WEEKLY WEATHER-CROP NEWS Week ending July 6, 1997 Released 4:00 P.M. July 7, 1997 WEATHER SUMMARY: Almost daily rains fell over most areas during the week of June 29 through July 5. Weekly amounts ranged from a half inch at Daytona Beach to almost four inches at Orlando and Valparaiso. Temperatures for the week averaged mostly one to two degrees above normal. Daytime high tempera tures were mostly in the 90s while nighttime lows were mostly in the 70s. Strong winds accompanying the storms continued to cause property damage in a few localities. FIELD CROPS: Topsoil moisture is adequate to surplus through out the State with scattered areas of short moisture. Sixty-nine percent of the peanuts have pegged. Peanut condition: poor 0%, fair 6%, good 32%, excellent 62%. General rains in most areas have slowed fieldwork and haying. Haying was active where weather permitted. Corn is tasseling and silking. Sugarcane growth is normal. Tobacco harvest is active. Cotton and forage growth are doing well. Dry weather is needed for weed control. Moisture Topsoil Subsoil Rating Last week This week Last week This week Percent Very short 0 0 0 0 Short 11 19 13 15 Adequate 71 67 74 71 Surplus 18 14 13 14 LIVESTOCK AND PASTURES: Pasture conditions improved in most areas of the State following recent rains. However, the central and Panhandle areas reported some flooding. Cattle conditions were better following several weeks of good to excellent pasture. Range Cattle Condition Last This week This week Last week week Very poor 0 0 0 0 Poor 0 0 0 0 Fair 10 15 10 10 Good 85 75 85 80 Excellent 5 10 5 10 CITRUS: Groves, trees, and new crop fruit are all in very good condition. Moisture is adequate, however, more frequent rain is needed in most areas to help refill lakes, ponds, and streams. The positive June weather generated a lot of new growth in most areas. Harvest of Valencia oranges is nearly over for this season as supplies are nearly depleted. Only a few processing plants remain open at this time. Movement of all seedless grapefruit is very limited as there are just a few fresh fruit packing houses running grapefruit. There are several smaller fresh squeeze operations still receiving both oranges and grapefruit. Caretakers are discing, chopping, and mowing cover crops. Summer sprays and fertilizations are being applied between rain showers. Estimated boxes harvested week ended Crop Jun 23 Jun 30 Jul 7 Valencia oranges 2,269,000 1,390,000 NA All grapefruit 144,000 75,000 NA VEGETABLES: Growers continue to ship mostly sweet corn, watermelons, okra, and tomatoes to other States with a very light amount of peppers being sold, also. Other vegetables continue to be harvested for local sales in scattered areas of the Peninsula. VEGETABLES--1996-97 SEASON Below normal rainfall during July, August, and September 1996 in most of the major vegetable producing areas allowed field preparations and planting to stay on schedule. July precipitation totals were one half inch to over eight inches below normal. In August, only northern and some central localities received above normal rains with most locations recording from an inch to almost ten inches below normal precipitation. September rainfall was normal at a few northern and western Panhandle cities, but ranged from a half inch to almost eight inches below normal over the rest of the State. This dry weather allowed some southern Peninsula growers to enter fields that usually are too muddy to work until October. Growers did delay some field work during early Septem ber due to the threat of adverse weather caused by Hurricanes Fran and Hortense. Some muckland planting was slowed by heavy rains around Lake Okeechobee in early September, but drier conditions for most of the month allowed growers to get back on schedule. Monthly temperatures averaged normal to two degrees above during July, normal to two degrees below during August, and ranged from two degrees below to three degrees above normal during September. Heavy rain and strong winds from Tropical Storm Josephine on October 7 and 8 affected crop development and slowed field work in all areas except Dade County. Some central and southern Peninsula localities again experienced abundant rainfall as Hurricane Lili passed to the south around mid- October. Most plants recovered from this adverse weather but yield prospects were reduced due to bloom loss and fruit scarring. Milder conditions from late October into early November aided the recovery of plants from storm damage and allowed growers to get field work back on schedule. Producers also replaced fertilizer leached by these heavy rains. October rainfall averaged from about an inch to almost 12 inches above normal, while most temperatures during the month were within a degree of normal. Cold fronts passing over the Peninsula during early November dropped some temperatures into the 30s and 40s with Dade County and southeastern coastal localities escaping the effects of the cold. Harvesting increased in early-to-mid November to meet the late November holiday demand. High pressure to the north and low pressure to the south brought windy weather to most regions around mid-November with temperatures averaging up to eleven degrees below normal. These strong, gusty winds and blowing sand damaged some crops with fruit scarred, plants dehydrated, and foliage burned and broken in many areas. East Coast fields with wind breaks escaped significant harm from these winds. Warmer, drier weather during late November and most of December accelerated crop harvesting to meet the December and January holiday demand. For Novem ber, rainfall averaged from about an inch to almost four inches below normal, while most temperatures were one to three degrees above normal. Yields were low for some crops due to the grade-out of fruit scarred by the earlier windy weather. The volume of crops picked neared the holiday market peak around mid-December. Picking in the Palmetto-Ruskin region slowed seasonally about the middle of December as activity around Immokalee and Dade County increased. Winter cold arrived in all areas after mid-Dec- ember snow falling in some Panhandle and northern localities. Lowest temperatures ranged from the 20s in some western Panhandle, northern, and north central areas, to the 50s in Key West. Hard frosts accompanying the cold temperatures brought an end to most crop picking in the north. Most southern Peninsula crops escaped significant damage from the cold weather due to the short duration of near freezing temperatures. Some strawberry growers around Plant City ran overhead sprinklers to protect plants and immature berries. Most cucumbers near Immokalee sustained significant damage. The cold singed some southern Peninsula tomatoes, squash, snap beans, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and plum tomatoes. Below normal rainfall during December and early January caused many producers to irrigate fields. Warmer temperatures in late December and during the first half of January aided plant recovery. For December, rainfall averaged from near to over four inches below normal, while most temperatures were one to three degrees above normal. Cold temperatures dipped into central localities near the end of the second week in January with thermometer readings in the 30s and 40s. Rain over the southern Peninsula near mid- month delayed field work and lowered the condition of crops. The East Coast region and Dade County reported precipitation accumulations of two to three inches from this rain. The Im mokalee area received a half inch or more while the Palmetto- Ruskin area reported a trace to about a quarter of an inch from the rain. Cold weather crept south after mid-month with a record low temperature of 46 recorded at Key West on the morning of January 19. This cold weather caused varying amounts of damage to the winter crop acreage with Dade County and the Immokalee and Lake Apopka areas suffering significant losses. Most acreage in the East Coast region escaped harm, while spring crop planting was just beginning around Palmetto-Ruskin. Warm temperatures and mostly dry weather returned in late January. This helped young acreage to recover from the damage caused by the adverse weather and allowed growers to salvage marketable fruit from older acreage harmed significantly by the cold. In the warmer weather during the days that followed the cold, producers irrigated and applied fertilizer to some damaged fields with a significant amount making a complete recovery. For January, rainfall averaged from over three inches below to almost two inches above normal, while most temperatures were one to three degrees above normal. Mostly dry and warm conditions persisted throughout February and March. By early February, late winter and spring crop planting was back on schedule with most of the plants killed by the January cold replanted. Gusting winds in late February blew blooms off plants as blowing sand scarred some fruit in Dade County and the East Coast area. For Februrary, rainfall totaled from a half inch to almost four inches below normal at most official stations with West Palm Beach reporting rainfall about one and a half inches above normal. February temperatures soared from four to seven degrees above normal. Strong winds in early March around Immokalee and in Dade County caused some minor damage. Producers in Gadsden County began planting tomatoes in early March with most starting by mid-month. Gusting winds that accompanied scattered storms in late March caused only minor damage. For March, most official stations reported rainfall from about a third inch below to over four inches below normal, and temperatures again soaring from four to eight degrees above normal. A cool spell during the last few days of March and the first few days of April helped straw berry development. Warm and mostly dry conditions during most of early April helped Palmetto-Ruskin growers to begin the spring crop tomato harvest. Watermelon cutting began by mid-April in the Southwest and West Central regions. Zellwood growers started picking sweet corn around Lake Apopka after mid-month. Cold fronts passing over the Peninsula brought much needed rain and cooler temperatures beginning about mid-April and continuing through early May. Cloud cover during this period slowed the development of the tomato crop in the Quincy area. Strong winds and heavy rains in late April caused some damage to plants and fruit around Palmetto-Ruskin and in some northern localities. For April, official stations reported rainfall amounts from two thirds inch to two and one third inches above normal with Tampa rains being nine and a half inches above normal. April tempera tures averaged about normal to three degrees below normal. Cool and mostly dry weather in early May allowed harvesting to proceed at a rapid pace. Producers delayed the picking of squash during early May due to the low market. Scattered storms dropped varying amounts of rain over the southern Peninsula during the last three weeks of May with daily showers arriving statewide by early June. Some localities received hail and wind damage from these storms with a tornado dancing across parts of Miami, including the beach, on May 12. Dade County growers completed most harvest ing by mid-May. Commercial picking began to slow in most southern Peninsula areas by the last week of May as north Florida growers increased activity. Tomato harvesting got underway in Gadsden County during the last week of May and the first week of June. For May, offical stations showed temperatures averaging from two degrees below normal in a few central and northern areas to two degrees above in extreme southern localities. Rainfall during May varied from three and one third inches below normal at West Palm Beach to three and two thirds inches above normal at Miami. Daytime highs remained in the 80s during the first half of June with temperatures averaging normal to seven degrees below usual. Hot weather arrived in the last half of June as daily highs climbed into the 90s. However, average temperatures were near normal. The warmer weather coupled with the increasing supply of vegetables from states north of Florida brought most commer cial harvesting to an end. Scattered storms throughout June caused damage in some localities due to strong winds, hail, and tornadoes. Producers marketed watermelons, sweet corn, Dade County okra, and Gadsden County tomatoes during July, and continued harvest ing of vegetables for local sales.