sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: August 22, 2011 Week Ending Date: August 21, 2011 Issue: SC-CW003311 GENERAL Relief from the heat finally arrived during the week ending August 21st, 2011. Low temperatures registered in the sixties for many areas around the State. Highs were in the low nineties for the beginning of the week but heated up to mid-nineties by week's end. Crops and livestock were given a chance to recover with the cooler temperatures and improved soil moisture levels. Thunderstorms rolled into the eastern part of the State Thursday bringing rain to some of the coastal counties. Reports of armyworms surfaced out of the Upstate, which kept farm operators on the lookout after a bad breakout last year. The State average temperature for the period was one degree above normal. Soil moisture conditions were 18% very short, 43% short and 39% adequate. The State average rainfall for the week was 0.4 inches with 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork. FIELD CROPS Ninety-six percent of the CORN crop had matured by the end of the week, six points ahead of the five year average. Forty percent of the crop had been harvested. Conditions were 46% very poor, 28% poor, 18% fair, 7% good and 1% excellent. COTTON completed squaring and 87% of the crop had set bolls by the end of the week, remaining exactly on schedule based on the five year average. Twelve percent of the bolls had opened by the end of the week. Conditions remained stable at 4% very poor, 17% poor, 41% fair, 36% good and 2% excellent. Ninety-nine percent of PEANUTS had pegged, on pace with last year but 1 point behind the five year average. Conditions improved slightly to 3% very poor, 9% poor, 39% fair, 48% good and 1% excellent. Ninety-two percent of SOYBEANS had bloomed with 52% of the crop setting pods by the end of the week, remaining well behind historical figures. Conditions were steady at 9% very poor, 26% poor, 42% fair, 22% good and 1% excellent. TOBACCO harvest continued with 80% of the crop harvested by week's end, one point ahead of last year's harvest. Thirty-five percent of the stalks had been destroyed. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Ninety-nine percent of CANTALOUPES and WATERMELONS had been harvested. LIVESTOCK conditions declined slightly to 2% very poor, 13% poor, 36% fair, 48% good and 1% excellent. PASTURES improved slightly to 12% very poor, 31% poor, 35% fair and 22% good. Ninety-nine percent of HAY had been harvested, exactly on pace with last year's figure. PEACH harvest was 90% completed. Crop Progress for Week Ending August 21, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup, Harvested : 99 98 98 :: Peaches, Harvested : 90 93 87 Corn, Matured : 96 95 90 :: Peanuts, Pegged : 99 99 100 Corn, Harvested : 40 29 23 :: Soybeans, Bloomed : 92 93 91 Cotton, Squared : 100 100 100 :: Soybeans, Pods Set : 52 66 60 Cotton, Bolls Set : 87 84 87 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 80 79 71 Cotton, Bolls Opened : 12 7 5 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 35 29 22 Hay, Other Hay, Harvested : 99 99 96 :: Watermelons, Harvested : 99 99 97 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending August 21, 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn : 46 28 18 7 1 :: Pasture : 12 31 35 22 0 Cotton : 4 17 41 36 2 :: Peanuts : 3 9 39 48 1 Livestock : 2 13 36 48 1 :: Soybeans : 9 26 42 22 1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending August 21, 2011 Monday's early morning temperatures fell into the 60's for much of the State. Bennettsville and Cedar Creek cooled to 64 degrees. Sunny blue skies and cumulus clouds signaled the arrival of a fresh airmass from the northwest. On Tuesday morning Kingstree and Hartsville reported low temperatures of 61 degrees. The Tuesday through Thursday three-day stretch of recording daily average temperatures below the long term average at the Columbia Metro AP was the first such occurrence at that location since the same dates in May. Veering surface winds on Thursday allowed for a convective boundary to form along the coastal counties with scattered thunderstorms. The Myrtle Beach Fire Department measured rains totaling 1.15 inches while Bennetts Point, just west of Edisto Island, measured 1.04 inches. Daytime heating on Friday sent the mercury to 96 degrees at both Dillon and Clarks Hill. Afternoon and evening storms on Saturday at Springfield left 1.35 inches of rain and 1.34 inches at Gaston Shoals. Clinton recorded the State's highest temperature on Sunday at 98 degrees before strong storms and heavy rains passed eastward though Dillon County and to the north coast. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was one degree above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 99 degrees at Johnston and McCormick on August 19. The lowest official temperature reported was 57 degrees at Chesneee on August 16. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.72 inches at Holly Hill ending at 7:00 a.m. on August 21. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.4 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 83 degrees, Charleston 85 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 85 degrees. Precipitation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2011 : from Average ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer : 0.79 28.74 -2.4 Anderson : 1.47 22.66 -5.7 Columbia : 1.16 27.54 -2.9 Orangeburg : 1.30 27.92 -3.8 Charlotte, NC : 0.05 29.18 1.9 Augusta, GA : 0.02 23.51 -6.1 Florence : 0.02 20.92 -7.9 N Myrtle Beach : 0.30 19.85 -12.8 Charleston : 0.00 27.91 -5.2 Savannah, GA : 0.65 26.00 -6.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.