sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: October 31, 2011 Week Ending Date: October 30, 2011 Issue: SC-CW004311 GENERAL Fall-like temperatures continued into the week ending October 30th, 2011. Highs were in the mid-seventies for much of the State through Thursday. Very little to no rain was observed during this period allowing peanut and cotton harvests to resume. Isolated showers traveled with a cold front into the State on Friday. Sub-freezing temperatures were recorded Sunday morning in Edgefield County and as far eastward as Marion County. High temperatures were in the low sixties over the majority of the State. The State average temperature for the period was two degrees below normal with 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.2 inches. Soil moisture conditions were 5% very short, 35% short and 60% adequate. FIELD CROPS Eighty-eight percent of SOYBEAN leaves had turned color and 52% had dropped leaves, fourteen points behind the five year average. Maturation was 43% completed with 19% of the crop harvested. Conditions improved to 7% very poor, 16% poor, 40% fair, 36% good and 1% excellent. All TOBACCO stalks had been destroyed. Ninety-eight percent of COTTON bolls had opened by the end of the week and 62% of the crop had been harvested, one point behind last year's figure. Conditions improved slightly to 2% very poor, 11% poor, 40% fair, 44% good and 3% excellent. PEANUT harvest continued to lag with 70% completed by the end of the week, sixteen points behind the five year average. WINTER WHEAT was 27% planted with 12% emerged by the weekend. WINTER GRAZING plantings increased to 62% completed with 42% emerged, one point ahead of last year's pace. Conditions were 43% fair, 56% good and 1% excellent. OAT planting was 35% completed with 15% emerged, four points behind the five year average. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST PASTURE conditions improved to 5% very poor, 25% poor, 41% fair and 29% good. LIVESTOCK conditions also improved to 4% poor, 36% fair, 59% good and 1% excellent. Crop Progress for Week Ending October 30, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cotton, Bolls Opened : 98 99 98 :: Soybeans, Mature : 43 48 45 Cotton, Harvested : 62 63 49 :: Soybeans, Harvested : 19 25 15 Oats, Planted : 35 29 35 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 100 100 100 Oats, Emerged : 15 17 19 :: Winter Grazings, Planted : 62 64 68 Peanuts, Harvested : 70 96 86 :: Winter Grazings, Emerged : 42 41 44 Soybeans, Turned Color : 88 98 96 :: Winter Wheat, Planted : 27 25 21 Soybeans, Leaves Dropped : 52 61 66 :: Winter Wheat, Emerged : 12 14 12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending October 30, 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cotton : 2 11 40 44 3 :: Soybeans : 7 16 40 36 1 Livestock : 0 4 36 59 1 :: Winter Grazings : 0 0 43 56 1 Pasture : 5 25 41 29 0 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending October 30, 2011 On Monday afternoon, the Clemson Airport recorded a mild high temperature of 77 degrees. Fall color, according to park rangers at the State's highest mountain elevations, was described as "peaking." All South Carolina airport observation sites reported sunny, clear blue skies during the daylight hours of Tuesday. Clarks Hill warmed up to 79 degrees. The dry, stable weather pattern continued through Thursday with daily high temperatures slowly rising to or above 80 degrees. Andrews, Cades and Allendale recorded 81 degrees on Wednesday as did N Myrtle Beach, Summerville and Sandy Run on the following day. Clouds began arriving from the west on Friday ahead of an approaching cold front. Scattered showers formed along the boundary as it passed during the overnight hours. Most locations were left without rain but Greenwood received 0.66 inches and Chester was within a brief downpour of 0.62 inches. Clearing, windy weather was observed Saturday afternoon with steadily falling temperatures. On Sunday morning, the mercury fell to its lowest of the season. Freezing values were reported from Edgefield County and eastward through Sumter County and Marion County. The McEntire Air National Guard Airport in Eastover and the Florence Regional Airport both recorded a Sunday morning sub-freezing 31 degrees. There were public reports of "ground frost" in Sumter and "rooftop frost" as far south as Summerville. Clinton, Orangeburg and Beaufort's Sunday high temperature made it to just 62 degrees. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was two degrees below normal. The highest official temperature reported was 83 degrees at Pinopolis on October 25. The lowest official temperature reported was 27 degrees at Pelion on October 30. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 0.76 inches at Pickens ending at 7:00 a.m. on October 29. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.2 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 64 degrees, Charleston 65 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 65 degrees. Precipitation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2011 : from Average --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer AP : 0.37 37.60 -1.7 Anderson AP : 0.33 28.96 -7.5 Columbia Metro AP : 0.12 33.83 -4.7 Orangeburg AP : 0.01 33.96 -6.5 Charlotte, NC AP : 0.65 37.77 2.6 Augusta, GA Bush AP : 0.03 26.52 -10.8 Florence AP : 0.01 25.38 -11.8 N Myrtle Beach AP : 0.00 29.54 -15.9 Charleston AP : 0.01 34.96 -10.4 Savannah, GA AP : 0.07 32.98 -9.6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.