sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: September 19, 2011 Week Ending Date: September 18, 2011 Issue: SC-CW003711 GENERAL Soil moisture levels dropped considerably during the week ending September 18th, 2011. Hot, dry weather was present through Thursday over most of the State with highs reaching the mid-nineties. Scattered showers fell around the State but no significant rainfall was recorded. A cold front entered the State on Thursday bringing temperatures in the sixties, a welcome change from the heat that had plagued the State for months. Cloudy, cool weather persisted through the weekend with highs in the seventies and very light rainfall. Soil moisture levels fell to 42% very short, 35% short and 23% adequate. The State average temperature was one degree below normal with 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.1 inches. FIELD CROPS CORN harvest was 95% complete, 8 points ahead of the five year average. COTTON finished setting bolls by the end of the week. Seventy-four percent of the bolls had opened by the end of the week. The harvest continued with 5% complete by week's end. Conditions declined rapidly with the lack of rainfall to 5% very poor, 20% poor, 39% fair, 35% good and 1% excellent. PEANUT harvest continued with 10% completed by the end of the week, 3 points behind the mark set this time last year. Conditions worsened to 3% very poor, 11% poor, 41% fair, 44% good and 1% excellent. SOYBEANS had completed blooming with 91% of the crop setting pods by the end of the week, three points behind the five year average. The leaves continued to show color with 13% reported by the end of the week. Conditions fell to 13% very poor, 23% poor, 37% fair, 26% good and 1% excellent. TOBACCO harvest was wrapping up with 98% of the crop harvested by Sunday. Sixty-six percent of the stalks had been destroyed, 8 points ahead of last year. WINTER WHEAT planting was underway with 18% completed. WINTER GRAZINGS plantings were reportedly 12% underway. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST LIVESTOCK conditions fell to 2% very poor, 15% poor, 34% fair, 48% good and 1% excellent. PASTURES continued to drop to 18% very poor, 34% poor, 34% fair and 14% good. All PEACHES had been harvested. Crop Progress for Week Ending September 18, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn, Harvested : 95 92 87 :: Soybeans, Pods Set : 91 93 94 Cotton, Bolls Set : 100 99 100 :: Soybeans, Turned Color : 13 17 16 Cotton, Bolls Opened : 74 65 61 :: Soybeans, Leaves Dropped : 1 3 5 Cotton, Harvested : 5 1 1 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 98 98 97 Peaches, Harvested : 100 100 99 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 66 58 70 Peanuts, Harvested : 10 13 9 :: Winter Grazings, Planted : 12 13 15 Soybeans, Bloomed : 100 100 100 :: Winter Wheat, Planted : 18 0 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending September 18, 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cotton : 5 20 39 35 1 :: Peanuts : 3 11 41 44 1 Livestock : 2 15 34 48 1 :: Soybeans : 13 23 37 26 1 Pasture : 18 34 34 14 0 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending September 18, 2011 A few light showers formed along the southern coastal counties before sunrise on Monday morning. The Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station measured 0.06 inches of rain. At 4:00 p.m. the Columbia Metro AP reported 92 degrees and a relative humidity value of 22 percent. Cades, Bamberg, McCormick and Barnwell reached a high temperature of 94 degrees. On Tuesday morning, the dry nature of the air helped cool the temperature at Johnston to 57 degrees. During the late afternoon hours, Johnston's high temperature soared back to 95 degrees. Scattered showers formed along the coastal plain and left Cades with 0.74 inches of rain and Givhans with 0.62 inches. McCormick reported a hot and dry Wednesday with a maximum temperature of 96 degrees. Thursday began with clouds entering the South Carolina mountains and another round of hot weather for everyone else. Allendale topped out at 96 degrees. In the darkness of Friday morning, Springmaid Pier recorded wind gusts of 44 mph. At 5:39 a.m., Shaw AFB in Sumter reported 63 degrees, northeast winds of 22 mph, gusting to 31 mph. A cluster of pre-dawn thunderstorms produced intense rainfalls of 1.12 inches at Charleston City and 0.90 inches at Ft. Moultrie. Friday's combination of a frontal boundary with its modified Canadian air and subsequent cloud cover made for good riddance of the summer-long heat. Chester and Bennettsville recorded Friday high temperatures of just 60 degrees. Most of the State observed cloudy, cool conditions and occasional light rain, drizzle or mist into Sunday. Edisto Beach and Bennett's Point recorded the State's Sunday high temperature at 77 degrees. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was one degree below normal. The highest official temperature reported was 97 degrees at Columbia Metro AP and Barnwell on September 15. The lowest official temperature reported was 50 degrees at Long Creek and Pelion on September 17. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.42 inches at Mullins ending at 7:00 a.m. on September 16. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.1 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 74 degrees, Charleston 78 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 77 degrees. Precipitation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2011 : from Average ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer : 0.00 29.56 -5.1 Anderson : 0.00 23.11 -8.8 Columbia : 0.03 28.82 -5.3 Orangeburg : 0.00 28.30 -7.3 Charlotte, NC : 0.00 31.05 0.5 Augusta, GA : 0.21 23.79 -9.0 Florence : 0.08 22.28 -10.5 N Myrtle Beach : 0.30 24.58 -14.9 Charleston : 0.36 30.33 -9.3 Savannah, GA : 0.00 26.34 -11.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.