sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: October 3, 2011 Week Ending Date: October 2, 2011 Issue: SC-CW003911 GENERAL Rain continued to fall over the majority of the State during the week ending October 2nd, 2011. Severe weather dumped almost four inches of rain in Orangeburg on Monday as well as 2-inch hail in Aiken on Tuesday. Temperatures warmed to over 90 degrees in parts of the State before a cold front arrived on Friday. Cooler weather persisted throughout the weekend with Saluda measuring a low of just 39 degrees. The State average temperature for the period was two degrees above normal. Soil moisture conditions continued to improve to 12% very short, 29% short, 56% surplus and 3% adequate. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.4 inches with 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork. FIELD CROPS WINTER WHEAT was 20% planted with 2% emerged by the weekend. WINTER GRAZING plantings were 36% completed with 8% emerged. OAT plantings began with 5% in the ground by Sunday. Ninety-eight percent of SOYBEANS had set pods by the end of the week, on pace with last year and the five year average. Leaves were 26% colored and 8% had dropped leaves. Maturation began in some areas of the State with 2% of the crop harvested. Conditions improved to 9% very poor, 22% poor, 38% fair, 30% good and 1% excellent. TOBACCO harvest was completed and 75% of the stalks had been destroyed. Ninety-eight percent of CORN had been harvested, 1 point ahead of the five year average. Eighty-six percent of COTTON bolls had opened by the end of the week. Fifteen percent of the crop had been harvested. Conditions improved slightly to 8% very poor, 15% poor, 38% fair, 38% good and 1% excellent. PEANUT harvest continued with 19% completed by the end of the week, well behind the five year average. Conditions were 3% very poor, 11% poor, 38% fair, 47% good and 1% excellent. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST LIVESTOCK conditions improved to 1% very poor, 11% poor, 33% fair, 54% good and 1% excellent. PASTURE conditions also improved to 9% very poor, 30% poor, 37% fair and 24% good. Crop Progress for Week Ending October 2, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn, Harvested : 98 97 97 :: Soybeans, Mature : 4 10 6 Cotton, Bolls Opened : 86 87 82 :: Soybeans, Harvested : 2 3 1 Cotton, Harvested : 15 17 10 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 100 100 100 Oats, Planted : 5 7 3 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 75 86 89 Peanuts, Harvested : 19 40 28 :: Winter Grazings, Planted : 36 27 32 Soybeans, Pods Set : 98 98 98 :: Winter Grazings, Emerged : 8 3 1 Soybeans, Turned Color : 26 45 38 :: Winter Wheat, Planted : 20 11 6 Soybeans, Leaves Dropped : 8 23 15 :: Winter Wheat, Emerged : 2 2 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending October 2, 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cotton : 8 15 38 38 1 :: Peanuts : 3 11 38 47 1 Livestock : 1 11 33 54 1 :: Soybeans : 9 22 38 30 1 Pasture : 9 30 37 24 0 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending October 2, 2011 Eastward-moving storms on Monday left 3.94 inches of rain at the Orangeburg County Emergency Management Divisions office that resulted in street flooding. Tuesday's towering thunderclouds over Aiken County sent 2- inch diameter hailstones to the ground. Ridgeville measured 1.46 inches of rain and Walterboro measured 1.40 inches. Andrews warmed up to 91 degrees on Tuesday and Conway did the same on Wednesday. Wednesday's rain and thunder brought Pageland 0.52 inches of rain. Despite the calendar, summer-like warmth continued on Thursday with Hartsville, Columbia and Pinopolis all recording 88 degrees. A cold front entered the State on Friday with scattered thunderstorms forming across the eastern sections. Conway reported rains totaling 0.80 inches and nearby Gallivants Ferry received 0.72 inches. September 2011 rainfall ranged from a high of 10.60 inches at Jocassee to a low of 1.40 inches at Calhoun Falls. Much cooler air settled into the region Saturday with Chester noting a 20-degree drop from their Friday high temperature of 83 degrees to a Saturday high of just 63 degrees. Sunny fall weather was observed through the weekend. On Sunday morning, Saluda and Barnwell cooled to 39 degrees as colder air continued to slide south. McCormick and Ft. Moultrie shared the State's Sunday high temperature of 73 degrees. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was two degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 92 degrees at Pinopolis and Givhans on September 27. The lowest official temperature reported was 38 degrees at Walhalla on October 2. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.95 inches at Lake Greenwood ending at 7:00 a.m. on September 28. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.4 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 72 degrees, Charleston 74 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 76 degrees. Precipitation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2011 : from Average ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer : 0.01 35.61 -0.6 Anderson : 0.11 27.44 -6.2 Columbia : 0.06 31.82 -3.9 Orangeburg : 1.89 32.24 -5.2 Charlotte, NC : 0.52 34.73 2.7 Augusta, GA : 0.03 25.05 -9.3 Florence : 0.74 24.46 -9.9 N Myrtle Beach : 1.13 27.36 -14.6 Charleston : 0.01 33.05 -9.0 Savannah, GA : 0.05 30.54 -8.7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.