sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: August 16, 2011 Week Ending Date: August 14, 2011 Issue: SC-CW003211 GENERAL The week ending August 14th, 2011 began with unusually high temperatures. On Monday, Clemson, Aiken and Saluda all recorded highs of 101 degrees. Columbia measured 100 degrees on Tuesday. The high heat led to thunderstorms beginning Thursday, bringing much needed rainfall to many counties. Hartsville measured 2.08 inches while the Columbia airport measured 3.46 inches on Thursday. Rain from storms continued to fall throughout the weekend. Relief from the heat finally arrived Sunday with a drop in temperatures with Orangeburg and Newberry recording highs of 88 degrees. The State average temperature was three degrees above normal with an average of 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork. The State average rainfall for the period was 1.4 inches. Soil moisture conditions improved considerably to 17% very short, 42% short and 41% adequate. FIELD CROPS CORN completed doughing while 87% of the crop had completed maturation, 10 points ahead of the five year average. Twenty-eight percent of the crop had been harvested. Conditions were 46% very poor, 30% poor, 17% fair and 7% good. Ninety-six percent of the COTTON crop had squared and 77% had set bolls by the end of the week, exactly on schedule based on the five year average. 7% of the bolls had opened by the end of the week. Conditions declined slightly to 3% very poor, 19% poor, 43% fair, 34% good and 1% excellent. Ninety-three percent of PEANUTS had pegged, remaining 5 points behind last year's pace and the five year average. Conditions declined to 2% very poor, 10% poor, 43% fair, 43% good and 2% excellent. Eighty-seven percent of SOYBEANS had bloomed with 33% of the crop setting pods by the end of the week, remaining far behind historical figures. Conditions were 9% very poor, 28% poor, 43% fair and 20% good. TOBACCO harvest continued with 73% of the crop harvested by week's end, moving slightly ahead of last year's harvest. Twenty-five percent of the stalks had been destroyed. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Ninety-seven percent of CANTALOUPES and 98% of WATERMELONS had been harvested. LIVESTOCK conditions declined to 2% very poor, 10% poor, 38% fair, 49% good and 1% excellent. PASTURES improved slightly to 11% very poor, 34% poor, 40% fair and 15% good. Ninety-eight percent of HAY had been harvested, exactly on pace with last year's figure. Crop Progress for Week Ending August 14, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup, Harvested : 97 96 96 :: Peaches, Harvested : 88 84 81 Corn, Doughed : 100 100 99 :: Peanuts, Pegged : 93 98 98 Corn, Matured : 87 82 77 :: Soybeans, Bloomed : 87 86 83 Corn, Harvested : 28 18 11 :: Soybeans, Pods Set : 33 50 47 Cotton, Squared : 96 99 99 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 73 70 61 Cotton, Bolls Set : 77 69 77 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 25 18 11 Cotton, Bolls Opened : 7 2 1 :: Watermelons, Harvested : 98 98 96 Hay, Other Hay, Harvested : 98 98 93 :: : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending August 14, 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn : 46 30 17 7 0 :: Pasture : 11 34 40 15 0 Cotton : 3 19 43 34 1 :: Peanuts : 2 10 43 43 2 Livestock : 2 10 38 49 1 :: Soybeans : 9 28 43 20 0 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending August 14, 2011 Although the Monday through Thursday weather was mostly sunny and with scattered thundershowers, it was the late-summer heat that got the most attention. On Monday afternoon, Clemson, Great Falls, Greenwood, Aiken and Saluda all recorded 101 degrees. Gaffney received 1.29 inches of rain in a localized thunderstorm. Both Columbia airports reached 100 degrees on Tuesday. Table Rock, Chesnee and Pickens cooled to 66 degrees on Wednesday morning as some drier air eased into the Upstate. Storms began forming on Thursday with flash flooding rainfalls occurring late in the evening for parts of the Midlands. The Columbia Hamilton-Owens AP measured a rain event total of 3.46 inches while a NWS tipping- bucket gage at the Columbia USC Campus recorded rainfall rates of up to 2.23 inches per hour. Hartsville reported 2.08 inches and the McEntire ANG AP received 1.97 inches. The high water vapor content of the atmosphere and buoyancy brought on by intense surface heating produced pockets of heavy rainfall through the weekend. Manning recorded 2.12 inches for the 24-hours ending on Saturday morning and the Charleston AP totaled 4.91 inches of rain in the 48-hours of Friday and Saturday. Storms over Bennettsville left 4.06 inches and at Longtown, 3.43 inches fell. A frontal boundary moved eastward through the State on Sunday bringing showers and a welcomed drop in temperatures. Newberry, Shaw AFB and Orangeburg noted Sunday afternoon high temperatures of 88 degrees. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was three degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 104 degrees at Dillon and Pinopolis on August 8. The lowest official temperature reported was 61 degrees at Jocassee on August 10. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 4.26 inches at the Columbia USC Campus ending at 7:00 a.m. on August 12. The State average rainfall for the period was 1.4 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 82 degrees, Charleston 84 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 84 degrees. Precipitation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2011 : from Average ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer : 0.10 27.95 -2.2 Anderson : 0.69 21.19 -6.3 Columbia : 1.33 26.38 -2.8 Orangeburg : 1.90 26.62 -3.9 Charlotte, NC : 2.59 29.13 2.8 Augusta, GA : 1.03 23.49 -5.1 Florence : 2.01 20.90 -6.8 N Myrtle Beach : 0.06 19.55 -11.3 Charleston : 5.20 27.91 -3.6 Savannah, GA : 1.57 25.35 -5.5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.