sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: April 2, 2012 Week Ending Date: April 1, 2012 Issue: SC-CW001412 GENERAL Spring plantings were in full swing during the week ending April 1, 2012. Warm and sunny conditions allowed corn plantings to continue ahead of schedule. Some precipitation was observed in scattered thunderstorms across the State. However, unusually warm weather led to a decrease in soil moisture measured at 2% very short, 32% short and 66% adequate. The State average temperature for the week was ten degrees above normal with 6.5 days suitable for field work. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.4 inches. FIELD CROPS CORN plantings were far ahead of schedule with 54% completed by Sunday. Aided by warm weather, 18% of the crop had emerged by the weekend. OATS were 30% headed, far ahead of historical averages. Conditions were 1% very poor, 4% poor, 22% fair, 67% good and 6% excellent. WINTER WHEAT was also 30% headed with conditions reported as 2% poor, 25% fair, 67% good and 6% excellent. TOBACCO transplanting continued with 8% completed by the end of the week. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST SNAPBEAN, TOMATO, and CUCUMBER plantings increased steadily with warm and dry conditions. Twenty-seven percent of snapbeans, 45% of tomatoes and 20% of cucumbers were planted by week's end. CANTALOUP planting was 33% complete by Sunday. WATERMELON planting was estimated at 30% completed. PEACH conditions improved to 1% poor, 42% fair, 50% good and 7% excellent. PASTURE conditions were 10% poor, 40% fair and 50% good. LIVESTOCK conditions improved to 1% poor, 28% fair, 70% good and 1% excellent. Crop Progress for Week Ending April 1, 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup, Planted : 33 15 17 :: Snapbeans, Fresh, Planted : 27 18 20 Corn, Planted : 54 39 35 :: Tobacco, Transplanted : 8 4 4 Corn, Emerged : 18 14 13 :: Tomatoes, Fresh, Planted : 45 27 29 Cucumbers, Fresh, Planted : 20 12 11 :: Watermelons, Planted : 30 22 28 Oats, Headed : 30 6 9 :: Winter Wheat, Headed : 30 4 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending April 1, 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Livestock : 0 1 28 70 1 :: Peaches : 0 1 42 50 7 Oats : 1 4 22 67 6 :: Winter Wheat : 0 2 25 67 6 Pasture : 0 10 40 50 0 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending April 1, 2012 A sunny Monday afternoon highlighted the full blooms and color of azalea, flowering dogwood and cherry on the SC State House grounds. Givhans warmed to 86 degrees on Monday afternoon. A boundary of cooler air entered the State on Tuesday morning. Mullins and Fort Johnson reported high temperatures of just 63 degrees. There was a chill in the air on Wednesday morning for Chesnee and Ninety Nine Islands as the mercury fell to 42 degrees. More unseasonable warmth returned Wednesday afternoon with Summerville and Bamberg recording 83 degrees. On Thursday, Columbia, Orangeburg and Chesterfield reached 87 degrees. It was more of the same on Friday with Hartsville, Kingstree and Andrews reporting 88 degrees. Scattered thunderstorms formed on Friday for parts of the Upstate and moved southeast. Lugoff measured one of the heavier amounts with 1.00 inches. Anderson measured 0.53 inches and Manning received 0.76 inches. Warm surface heating interacted with cold air aloft to cause additional, yet isolated, storms on Saturday. The Greenville Downtown AP measured 0.74 inches and Greenwood measured 0.70 inches. The March 2012 rainfall range showed that 7.47 inches fell at Barnwell and only 1.48 inches at Cedar Creek. Preliminary reports indicated that the March 2012 average temperature at the Greenville- Spartanburg AP, the Columbia Metro AP and Florence AP were the warmest of record. The Table Rock State Park, usually one of the State's cooler locations at an elevation of 1020 feet, warmed to 85 degrees on Sunday afternoon. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was ten degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 89 degrees at Conway on March 29 and at Witherbee on March 30. The lowest official temperature reported was 40 degrees at Caesars Head on March 27 and at Dillon on March 28. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.16 inches at Hunts Bridge ending at 7:00 a.m. on April 1. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.4 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 71 degrees, Charleston 72 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Ocean water temperatures at nearby Johnny Mercer Pier in Wrightsville Beach, NC were reported at 66 degrees. Precipitation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2012 : from Average --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer AP : 0.95 8.78 -3.7 Anderson AP : 0.54 8.23 -4.0 Columbia Metro AP : 0.12 6.45 -4.6 Orangeburg AP : 0.35 6.65 -5.0 Charlotte, NC AP : 0.48 7.49 -3.4 Augusta, GA Bush AP : 0.26 4.80 -7.3 Florence AP : 0.41 8.75 -0.8 N Myrtle Beach AP : 0.21 6.59 -4.6 Charleston AP : 0.03 8.45 -2.0 Savannah, GA AP : 0.52 8.65 -1.7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.