sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: June 6, 2011 Week Ending Date: June 5, 2011 Issue: SC-CW002211 GENERAL The week ending June 5th, 2011 brought higher than normal temperatures and very little rainfall to the State. Farm operators are seeing crop conditions deteriorate as South Carolina officially entered into incipient drought status on June 2nd, as determined by the State Climate Office. Reports of corn stalks twisting and extremely dry soil were prevalent over the last week, with very few counties receiving any amount of consistent rainfall. Making matters worse, the only significant rainfall received last week came in the form of two severe thunderstorms, one on Thursday, June 2nd, and the other on Sunday, June 5th. Both storms brought hail and high winds with them, but luckily did very little damage to field crops. The State average temperature for the period was eight degrees above normal, topping out at 102 degrees on Lake Murray on Sunday. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.2 inches. There was an average of 6.7 days suitable for field work. Soil moisture conditions were reported as 21% very short, 53% short, 26% adequate, and 0% surplus. FIELD CROPS WINTER WHEAT continued to progress to 80%, ripe, and harvest was 35% underway. Conditions were 1% poor, 15% fair, 70% good, and 14% excellent. OATS had progressed to 95% ripe, and harvest continued steadily with 50% of the crop harvested. Conditions were 1% very poor, 3% poor, 18% fair, 72% good, and 6% excellent. Twenty-five percent of the CORN had silked with conditions rapidly declining to 6% very poor, 24% poor, 42% fair, 26% good, and 2% excellent. Rain was needed to counteract the twisting that had already begun on the corn crop. Some producers were afraid that the crop was beyond repair. COTTON planting was 94% complete, remaining behind the five year average and three points behind last year. PEANUT planting was 89% complete, remaining behind both last year's pace and the five year average, partly due to dry soil conditions. SOYBEAN planting picked up with 75% planted, rising well above last year's pace and the five year average. Fifty seven percent of the crop had emerged, 13 points ahead of the five year average. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Forty percent of CUCUMBERS had been harvested, still well ahead of last year's and the five year average. Conditions were 13% poor, 50% fair, 34% good, and 3% excellent. SNAPBEAN harvest was 30% underway, with conditions at 10% poor, 49% fair, 36% good, and 5% excellent. TOMATO conditions were 2% very poor, 5% poor, 48% fair, 35% good, and 10% excellent. WATERMELON conditions were 3% poor, 49% fair, 47% good, and 1% excellent. PEACH conditions were 15% fair, 81% good, and 4% excellent. CANTALOUP conditions were 4% poor, 49% fair, 39% good, and 8% excellent. LIVESTOCK conditions fell to 7% poor, 36% fair, 55% good, and 2% excellent. PASTURES were 9% very poor, 16% poor, 48% fair, 26% good, and 1% excellent, leading some producers to feed hay to their livestock due to drying pasture conditions. Crop Progress for Week Ending June 5, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn, Silked : 25 18 14 :: Peaches, Harvested : 13 11 10 Cotton, Planted : 94 97 96 :: Peanuts, Planted : 89 92 91 Cotton, Squared : 1 1 1 :: Snapbeans, Fresh, Harvested : 30 15 15 Cucumbers, Fresh, Harvested : 40 24 23 :: Soybeans, Planted : 75 61 59 Hay, Grain Hay, Harvested : 95 94 95 :: Soybeans, Emerged : 57 49 44 Oats, Ripe : 95 76 78 :: Winter Wheat, Ripe : 80 76 74 Oats, Harvested : 50 31 30 :: Winter Wheat, Harvested : 35 20 21 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending June 5, 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup : 0 4 49 39 8 :: Peanuts : 0 2 41 53 4 Corn : 6 24 42 26 2 :: Snapbeans : 0 10 49 36 5 Cotton : 2 13 43 41 1 :: Soybeans : 3 15 39 43 0 Cucumbers : 0 13 50 34 3 :: Tobacco : 1 10 43 44 2 Livestock : 0 7 36 55 2 :: Tomatoes : 2 5 48 35 10 Oats : 1 3 18 72 6 :: Watermelons : 0 3 49 47 1 Pasture : 9 16 48 26 1 :: Winter Wheat : 0 1 15 70 14 Peaches : 0 0 15 81 4 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending June 5, 2011 Although the Monday and Tuesday calendar days were just shy of the meteorological start of summer, the mercury climbed into the middle and high 90's. At May's end, monthly rainfall totals ranged from 9.17 inches at Ft. Mill to just 0.41 inches at the Charleston AP. On June 1, the Springmaid Pier surf water temperature reached 80.1 degrees and the Clemson AP recorded a late afternoon maximum temperature of 100 degrees. A lone thunderstorm, on Wednesday afternoon, produced one-inch diameter hail near Pumpkintown. Powerful storms, most of which contained frequent cloud to ground lightning, formed during the Thursday afternoon hours and sped southward from the Piedmont into the Midlands. Winds gusted to 53 mph at Lake Murray and 52 mph at the Columbia Metro AP. The McEntire ANG AP measured 1.09 inches of rain. The Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station noted a Friday high temperature of 97 degrees. Most of the Lowcountry continued to report drying soils due to the extended absence, or poor distribution, of rain. Myrtle Beach got a break from the early summertime heat as Saturday's "seabreeze" only allowed a maximum temperature of 82 degrees. On Sunday, Barnwell, Givhans and Lake Wateree recorded shade temperatures of 101 degrees. The week's second round of thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours. Taylors, located in Greenville County, was hit with hailstones measuring 1.75 inches in diameter. At 6:55 p.m., the Laurens AP observed a peak wind gust of 62 mph and Fountain Inn received 1.22 inches of rain. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was eight degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 102 degrees at Flotilla Island, Lake Murray on June 5. The lowest official temperature reported was 59 degrees at Chesnee on June 4. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.31 inches at Ballentine USGS ending at 7:00 a.m. on June 3. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.2 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 81 degrees, Charleston 87 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 81 degrees. Precipitation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2011 : from Average ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer : 0.49 20.54 -2.2 Anderson : 0.01 15.25 -6.3 Columbia : 0.99 16.40 -3.6 Orangeburg : 0.51 15.68 -4.3 Charlotte, NC : 0.17 17.54 -1.6 Augusta, GA : 0.00 16.30 -3.6 Florence : 0.00 13.86 -4.0 N Myrtle Beach : 0.00 15.28 -1.3 Charleston : 0.00 10.19 -8.3 Savannah, GA : 0.00 12.30 -5.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.