sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: April 30, 2012 Week Ending Date: April 29, 2012 Issue: SC-CW001812 GENERAL Scattered frost led to minor damage in some crops at the start of the week ending April 29, 2012. Cool air was observed through Wednesday when warmer temperatures arrived from the south. Scattered thunderstorms dumped rain in isolated parts of the Upstate with some producers reporting minor hail damage. Temperatures in the mid-eighties and low-nineties were observed through the weekend with very little precipitation. The State average temperature for the period was three degrees above normal with six days suitable for fieldwork. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.3 inches. Soil moisture conditions were reported as 9% very short, 37% short, 52% adequate and 2% surplus. FIELD CROPS Ninety-seven percent of CORN was planted by Sunday and 91% of the crop had emerged. Conditions were 3% poor, 37% fair, 55% good and 5% excellent. COTTON planting was 14% complete by the end of the week, five points ahead of the five year average. Ten percent of PEANUTS were planted and 20% of SOYBEANS were in the ground. OATS were 99% headed with 30% turned color. Conditions were 1% very poor, 3% poor, 33% fair, 60% good and 3% excellent. WINTER WHEAT was also 99% headed with conditions reported as 3% poor, 38% fair, 55% good and 4% excellent. TOBACCO transplanting increased rapidly with 93% complete by the end of the week, ten points ahead of this time last year. Conditions declined to 1% poor, 54% fair, 40% good and 5% excellent. Sixty percent of HAY had been harvested, well ahead of historical figures. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST PASTURE conditions fell to 5% very poor, 6% poor, 44% fair, 44% good and 1% excellent. LIVESTOCK conditions improved slightly to 1% very poor, 3% poor, 30% fair, 65% good and 1% excellent. TOMATO plantings were almost complete with 98% planted by Sunday. Conditions fell to 52% fair and 48% good. Ninety one percent of SNAPBEANS and 75% of CUCUMBERS were planted by the end of the week. CANTALOUP planting was 83% complete by Sunday, on pace with last year. WATERMELON planting was reported as 91% complete. PEACH conditions were 63% fair, 36% good and 1% excellent. Crop Progress for Week Ending April 29, 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup, Planted : 83 83 81 :: Peanuts, Planted : 10 7 4 Corn, Planted : 97 98 96 :: Snapbeans, Fresh, Planted : 91 63 75 Corn, Emerged : 91 85 80 :: Soybeans, Planted : 20 6 5 Cotton, Planted : 14 17 9 :: Tobacco, Transplanted : 93 90 83 Cucumbers, Fresh, Planted : 75 73 79 :: Tomatoes, Fresh, Planted : 98 96 95 Hay, Grain Hay, Harvested : 60 35 37 :: Watermelons, Planted : 91 91 87 Oats, Headed : 99 93 84 :: Winter Wheat, Headed : 99 88 79 Oats, Turned Color : 30 13 7 :: Winter Wheat, Turning Color : 30 8 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending April 29, 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup : 0 0 54 46 0 :: Peaches : 0 0 63 36 1 Corn : 0 3 37 55 5 :: Snapbeans : 0 0 73 23 4 Cucumbers : 0 0 74 24 2 :: Tobacco : 0 1 54 40 5 Hay : 1 2 48 48 1 :: Tomatoes : 0 0 52 48 0 Livestock : 1 3 30 65 1 :: Watermelons : 0 0 54 44 2 Oats : 1 3 33 60 3 :: Winter Wheat : 0 3 38 55 4 Pasture : 5 6 44 44 1 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending April 29, 2012 Cold northwest winds sent the sunrise temperature on Monday morning to 34 degrees at Table Rock. At 3:00 p.m., the Rock Hill AP reported 54 degrees and northwest winds gusting to 28 mph. Scattered frost was observed on Tuesday morning as far south as Gilbert, through Camden, and east into Kingstree. Bennettsville and Lugoff noted a minimum temperature of 34 degrees. The Darlington AP 3:00 p.m. temperature observation of 63 degrees included west winds, steady at 24 mph, gusting to 30 mph. Warmer air began arriving from the south on Wednesday for the Lowcountry. The Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station and Pinopolis recorded an afternoon high temperature of 84 degrees. Stormy weather developed on Thursday across the northern counties bordering North Carolina. At 3:49 p.m., the Cheraw State Park reported hail that had covered the ground. The Kingstree AP reached 90 degrees. Florence measured west winds gusting to 38 mph. Nighttime thunderstorms over Townville in Anderson County produced hailstones of 1.75 inches in diameter along with a heavy rainfall total of 1.90 inches in the city of Anderson. More storms formed on Friday and were concentrated from the Foothills and eastward into the northern Midlands. Parts of Oconee County were pelted with two-inch diameter hail. Most of the convective cells contained nickel to quarter-sized hail. Gallivants Ferry received one of the heavier rainfall totals of 1.36 inches. While a sunny Barnwell warmed to 91 degrees on Saturday afternoon, the Rock Hill AP could only reach 65 degrees. The boundary of cool and cloudy conditions eased northward on Sunday and allowed statewide warming. The Sunday high temperature at Clinton, Shaw AFB and Lake City climbed to 86 degrees. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was three degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 93 degrees at Witherbee on April 28 and at Barnwell on April 29. The lowest official temperature reported was 32 degrees at Caesars Head on April 23. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.29 inches at Marion ending at 7:00 a.m. on April 28. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.3 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 74 degrees, Charleston 77 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 71 degrees. Precipitation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2012 : from Average --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer AP : 0.36 11.56 -4.0 Anderson AP : 1.07 10.95 -4.2 Columbia Metro AP : 0.12 8.71 -4.7 Orangeburg AP : 0.02 8.96 -5.4 Charlotte, NC AP : 0.12 9.14 -4.6 Augusta, GA Bush AP : 0.00 6.25 -8.5 Florence AP : 0.87 10.95 -1.1 N Myrtle Beach AP : 0.08 8.46 -5.4 Charleston AP : 0.00 9.74 -3.5 Savannah, GA AP : 0.00 9.13 -4.1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.