sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: July 9, 2012 Week Ending Date: July 8, 2012 Issue: SC-CW002812 GENERAL South Carolina continued to bake under intense heat during the week ending July 8, 2012. Temperatures were in the triple digits for many parts of the State during the week. Little to no rainfall was present except for a few scattered summer thunderstorms. The stress of the dry heat continued to take a toll on all crops, livestock and pastures. Soil moisture conditions fell further to 18% very short, 52% short, 29% adequate and 1% surplus. There was an average of 0.3 inches of rainfall for the week. The State average temperature for the period was five degrees above normal with 6.5 days suitable for fieldwork. FIELD CROPS Ninety-eight percent of CORN had silked and 75% of the crop had doughed by Sunday. Twenty percent of the crop had reached maturation, eleven points ahead of last year. Conditions fell to 5% poor, 37% fair, 50% good and 8% excellent. COTTON was 62% squared with 10% setting bolls. Conditions slid to 1% very poor, 5% poor, 36% fair, 54% good and 4% excellent. PEANUTS were 55% pegged, six points ahead of the previous year. Conditions declined to 4% poor, 39% fair, 53% good and 4% excellent. SOYBEANS were 98% planted and 96% emerged by the end of the week. Seven percent of the crop had bloomed. Conditions continued to decline to 1% very poor, 11% poor, 45% fair, 42% good and 1% excellent. All small grains had been harvested. TOBACCO was 70% topped, 1 point behind the five year average. Twelve percent of the crop had been harvested. Conditions were 6% poor, 45% fair, 46% good and 3% excellent. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Eighty-seven percent of TOMATOES had been harvested, 2 points ahead of last year. WATERMELON and CANTALOUP harvest continued with 60% and 59% harvested respectively. Ninety percent of CUCUMBERS had been harvested, 8 points behind the five year average. The SNAPBEAN harvest was 80% complete, 1 point behind last year. PEACH harvest continued with 65% complete by the end of the week, 15 points ahead of last year. PASTURE conditions fell to 4% very poor, 18% poor, 44% fair and 34% good. LIVESTOCK conditions were steady at 4% poor, 35% fair, 60% good and 1% excellent. Crop Progress for Week Ending July 8, 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup, Harvested : 59 74 68 :: Snapbeans, Fresh, Harvested : 80 81 85 Corn, Silked : 98 98 97 :: Soybeans, Planted : 98 97 99 Corn, Doughed : 75 40 46 :: Soybeans, Emerged : 96 87 92 Corn, Matured : 20 9 3 :: Soybeans, Bloomed : 7 4 7 Cotton, Squared : 62 65 56 :: Tobacco, Topped : 70 87 71 Cotton, Bolls Set : 10 30 11 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 12 13 10 Cucumbers, Fresh, Harvested : 90 97 98 :: Tomatoes, Fresh, Harvested : 87 85 80 Oats, Harvested : 100 100 100 :: Watermelons, Harvested : 60 74 62 Peaches, Harvested : 65 50 44 :: Winter Wheat, Harvested : 100 100 100 Peanuts, Pegged : 55 49 53 :: : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending July 8, 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup : 6 3 60 31 0 :: Peanuts : 0 4 39 53 4 Corn : 0 5 37 50 8 :: Soybeans : 1 11 45 42 1 Cotton : 1 5 36 54 4 :: Tobacco : 0 6 45 46 3 Livestock : 0 4 35 60 1 :: Watermelons : 1 9 71 15 4 Pasture : 4 18 44 34 0 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending July 8, 2012 There was little consolation in the fact that no one in the State reported 100 degrees on Monday. Andrews was the hottest with 98 degrees. On Tuesday afternoon, the mercury read 99 degrees at Darlington, Shaw AFB, Little Mountain, Clinton and Allendale. Scattered storms near the Savannah River developed during the late afternoon hours and brought Saluda some relief with 1.02 inches of rain and McCormick 0.89 inches. Golf ball-sized hail fell four miles northeast of Laurens. Both airports at Bennettsville and Hartsville reported 99 degrees on Wednesday. The Sandhill Experiment Station noted a Thursday maximum temperature of 103 degrees followed by a 24-hour open pan evaporation water loss of 0.51 inches. The only escape from the taxing heat was found at Caesars Head State Park (elevation 3200 feet and a high of only 85 degrees) or the water's edge at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach with a sea breeze-limiting 86 degrees. A few locations observed isolated thunderstorms on Thursday. Hardeeville was under a thunderstorm cell that left 1.14 inches of rain and the Greenville-Spartanburg AP recorded a rainfall amount of 0.89 inches. Hot, humid weather continued through the weekend. Non-irrigated landscapes displayed the wilting effects of the drying summer heat. Pinopolis and the Columbia Metro AP reached the century mark on Saturday. Sullivan's Island never got cooler than 80 degrees at sunrise on Sunday morning. Just up the coast, the Georgetown AP temperature moved to the triple-digits of 100 degrees on Sunday afternoon. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was five degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 104 degrees at Santuck on July 4. The lowest official temperature reported was 62 degrees at Sandy Springs on July 6. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.77 inches at Chesterfield ending at 7:00 a.m. on July 6. The State average rainfall for the period was 0.3 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 85 degrees, Charleston 83 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 84 degrees. Precipitation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2012 : from Average --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer AP : 1.02 17.63 -6.7 Anderson AP : 0.52 17.80 -5.3 Columbia Metro AP : 0.00 18.90 -3.6 Orangeburg AP : 0.00 21.11 -3.1 Charlotte, NC AP : 0.28 16.36 -5.2 Augusta, GA Bush AP : 0.29 13.59 -9.7 Florence AP : 0.00 21.89 0.7 N Myrtle Beach AP : 0.10 14.83 -8.6 Charleston AP : 0.00 22.59 -1.0 Savannah, GA AP : 0.82 21.14 -2.4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.