sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: August 6, 2012 Week Ending Date: August 5, 2012 Issue: SC-CW003212 GENERAL The counties along the coast and in higher elevations in the Upstate benefited from heavy rain during the week ending August 5, 2012. Thunderstorms created humid weather along the coast for most of the week dropping multiple inches of rain at a time. Severe weather was present Wednesday and Thursday in the Lowcounty with large hailstones and a brief EF- 0 tornado near Kiawah Island. Areas in the Upstate received heavy rain throughout the week. Inland areas missed out on most of the rain and conditions remained very warm and dry. Soil moisture conditions improved to 7% very short, 32% short and 61% adequate. The State average rainfall for the period was 1.3 inches. The State average temperature for the period was two degrees above normal with 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork. FIELD CROPS CORN was 98% doughed by Sunday. Eighty-three percent of the crop had reached maturation, remaining well above historical averages. Harvest was underway with 20% complete by the end of the week. Conditions were stable at 1% very poor, 7% poor, 35% fair, 48% good and 9% excellent. COTTON was 96% squared with 62% setting bolls. Conditions were 1% very poor, 3% poor, 34% fair, 56% good and 6% excellent. PEANUTS were 94% pegged, on pace with the five year average. Conditions improved to 1% very poor, 3% poor, 27% fair, 61% good and 8% excellent. Fifty-five percent of SOYBEANS had bloomed, falling to eight points behind the five year average. Twenty-two percent of the crop had set pods, remaining five points ahead of last year. Conditions were 1% very poor, 10% poor, 38% fair, 48% good and 3% excellent. TOBACCO was 100% topped with 61% of the crop harvested. Ten percent of stalks had been destroyed. Conditions improved to 4% poor, 38% fair, 51% good and 7% excellent. Ninety percent of HAY had been harvested. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST All TOMATOES and SNAPBEANS had been harvested. CANTALOUP and WATERMELON harvest was close to finished with 98% and 94% harvested, respectively. PEACH harvest was 94% complete by the end of the week, ten points ahead of last year. PASTURE conditions improved to 1% very poor, 10% poor, 41% fair, 47% good and 1% excellent. LIVESTOCK conditions also improved to 3% poor, 29% fair, 64% good and 4% excellent. Crop Progress for Week Ending August 5, 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup, Harvested : 98 95 94 :: Snapbeans, Fresh, Harvested : 100 100 100 Corn, Doughed : 98 99 95 :: Soybeans, Bloomed : 55 69 63 Corn, Matured : 83 67 50 :: Soybeans, Pods Set : 22 17 26 Corn, Harvested : 20 0 0 :: Tobacco, Topped : 100 100 100 Cotton, Squared : 96 92 96 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 61 55 49 Cotton, Bolls Set : 62 65 58 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 10 0 0 Hay, Other Hay, Harvested : 90 94 91 :: Tomatoes, Fresh, Harvested : 100 100 99 Peaches, Harvested : 94 84 77 :: Watermelons, Harvested : 94 96 93 Peanuts, Pegged : 94 89 94 :: : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending August 5, 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn : 1 7 35 48 9 :: Peanuts : 1 3 27 61 8 Cotton : 1 3 34 56 6 :: Soybeans : 1 10 38 48 3 Livestock : 0 3 29 64 4 :: Tobacco : 0 4 38 51 7 Pasture : 1 10 41 47 1 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending August 5, 2012 Heavy rains formed over the Grand Strand coastal counties on Monday morning. The N Myrtle Beach AP measured 1.81 inches in just one hour. The North Inlet gage near Winyah Bay measured a 24-hour total of 2.59 inches and Socastee received 2.32 inches. Sunrise temperatures on Tuesday morning fell to 64 degrees at Ninety Nine Islands and 65 degrees at Pelion. Clusters of storms developed over the mountain communities, leaving 2.44 inches of rain at Hunts Bridge and 2.33 inches at Table Rock. Cloudy conditions along with rain kept the high temperature at the Greenville-Spartanburg AP to just 75 degrees. The rainfall range for July 2012 showed the greatest amount at Caesars Head with 15.13 inches to a least amount of 3.67 inches at Johnston. Wednesday's weather included a brief EF-0 rated tornado that touched down two miles west of Kiawah Island. The high temperature on Thursday reached 97 degrees at Chester, Clinton, Greenwood, Clarks Hill, Dillon and Kingstree. Towering thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon produced large, damaging hail over parts of the Lowcountry. Hailstones of 2.75 inches in diameter fell near Green Pond in Colleton County and near Givhans in Dorchester County. Walterboro measured one of the heavier rainfalls at 1.50 inches. Thunderstorms on Friday were concentrated over the Upstate. Table Rock received 2.02 inches giving them a four-day total of 4.42 inches. More tropical-like weather arrived on Saturday with a mix of sun and showers. Edisto Beach warmed to 88 degrees. Beginning late Sunday morning and into the afternoon hours, parts of Hampton County were soaked. A CoCoRaHS volunteer near Varnville reported 4.84 inches of rain. Lake City and Charleston City recorded a Sunday high temperature of 85 degrees. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was two degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 98 degrees at Winnsboro August 3. The lowest official temperature reported was 61 degrees at Caesars Head on August 1. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 3.80 inches at Travelers Rest ending at 7:00 a.m. on August 1. The State average rainfall for the period was 1.3 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 84 degrees, Charleston 84 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were near to 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 : 2.07 21.29 -7.5 Anderson AP : 0.27 21.59 -4.8 Columbia Metro AP : 0.27 24.56 -3.1 Orangeburg AP : 0.79 27.81 -1.1 Charlotte, NC AP : 0.23 20.27 -4.8 Augusta, GA Bush AP : 1.46 15.98 -11.3 Florence AP : 1.23 26.95 0.8 N Myrtle Beach AP : 2.26 22.02 -7.0 Charleston AP : 2.76 28.58 -1.0 Savannah, GA AP : 2.26 26.65 -2.2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.