sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: April 11, 2011 Week Ending Date: April 10, 2011 Issue: SC-CW001411 GENERAL Severe, turbulent weather dominated the week ending April 10, 2011. The first half of the week saw colder temperatures and high winds, causing some damage to land and property from downed trees and power lines. The latter half of the week brought warmer temperatures, followed by damaging hail in many counties across the State. Farm operators were able to continue planting despite the weather, as it was sporadic and often in the evenings. Soil moisture levels were reported at 4% short, 81% adequate, and 15% surplus. With sunnier days last week, there was a statewide average of 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork. FIELD CROPS Sixty-five percent of CORN had been planted with 38% of the crop emerged, exceeding the five year average by week's end. TOBACCO transplanting remained behind schedule with 10% of the crop transplanted. Some operators reported light crop damage from hail and high winds that persisted throughout the week. WINTER WHEAT continued to head with 20% headed, ahead of the five year average. Conditions were 12% fair, 83% good, and 5% excellent. Twenty-five percent of OATS had headed and conditions were reported as 1% poor, 16% fair, 78% good, and 5% excellent. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST LIVESTOCK conditions were 20% fair, 75% good, and 5% excellent. PASTURES were 33% fair, 63% good, and 4% excellent. Both SNAPBEANS and TOMATOES rebounded to near or above the five-year average with 37% and 60% planted, respectively. Thirty-two percent of CUCUMBERS had been planted. CANTALOUP planting continued slightly ahead of the five-year average with 42% planted at the end of the week. WATERMELON planting was exactly on schedule at 50% planted. PEACH conditions were 14% fair, 84% good, and 2% excellent. Crop Progress for Week Ending April 10, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup, Planted : 42 41 40 :: Snapbeans, Fresh, Planted : 37 30 40 Corn, Planted : 65 57 60 :: Tobacco, Transplanted : 10 25 20 Corn, Emerged : 38 32 34 :: Tomatoes, Fresh, Planted : 60 62 59 Cucumbers, Fresh, Planted : 32 18 28 :: Watermelons, Planted : 50 51 50 Hay, Grain Hay, Harvested : 1 0 0 :: Winter Wheat, Headed : 20 3 14 Oats, Headed : 25 4 23 :: : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending April 10, 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Hay : 0 0 23 75 2 :: Pasture : 0 0 33 63 4 Livestock : 0 0 20 75 5 :: Peaches : 0 0 14 84 2 Oats : 0 1 16 78 5 :: Winter Wheat : 0 0 12 83 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending April 10, 2011 South winds gusted to 52 mph at the Greenville-Spartanburg AP on Monday evening, ahead of a strong cold front. Squall lines began forming in Oconee County around midnight and moving to the southeast. The Anderson AP recorded winds gusting to 65 mph and at 3:55 a.m., the Columbia AP measured a wind gust of 75 mph. Trees were toppled and electrical service was disrupted. Cleveland received one of the heavier rainfall amounts of 1.33 inches. On Wednesday morning, patchy to scattered frost was observed from within central South Carolina and northward across the Piedmont. The thermometers at the Florence AP, the Marlboro County AP, the Kingstree AP and the Hartsville AP all reported a low temperature of 32 degrees. Slow warming began on Thursday with both Holly Hill and Summerville reaching 80 degrees. Sunny weather on Friday helped Effingham and Beaufort warm to 86 degrees. Dillon's Saturday afternoon temperature of 68 degrees was in sharp contrast to the 88 degrees at Clemson and reflected a boundary that would produce stormy weather and multiple, large hail episodes into Saturday night. Golf ball-sized hailstones fell within Pickens, Anderson, Cherokee, Chesterfield, Lancaster, Fairfield, Lee and Florence counties. Baseball to tennis ball-sized hail was reported within Darlington, Sumter and Berkeley counties. Parts of York County were bombarded with hailstones measuring up to 4 inches in diameter. Many automobiles had their windshields broken and there was extensive damage to early field crops and orchards throughout the hail path. The Bishopville USGS site received 1.97 inches of rain as the storm cells raced eastward into the Pee Dee. The Quinby community reported a downpour of 1.40 inches. Sunday's high temperatures ranged from 66 degrees at Sumter to 88 degrees at Aiken. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was six degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 92 degrees at Bamberg and Barnwell on April 9. The lowest official temperature reported was 26 degrees at Jocassee on April 6. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.10 inches at Hartsville ending at 7:00 a.m. on April 10. The state average rainfall for the period was 0.7 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 67 degrees, Charleston 69 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were near normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 64 degrees. Precipitation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2011 : from Average ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer : 0.96 14.44 -0.8 Anderson : 0.95 12.62 -2.2 Columbia : 0.59 10.50 -3.7 Orangeburg : 0.66 10.85 -3.3 Charlotte, NC : 1.66 10.98 -2.0 Augusta, GA : 0.47 12.34 -2.0 Florence : 1.22 10.09 -2.0 N Myrtle Beach : 0.64 9.95 -2.0 Charleston : 0.27 8.05 -4.1 Savannah, GA : 0.60 10.78 -0.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.