sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: September 17, 2012 Week Ending Date: September 16, 2012 Issue: SC-CW003812 GENERAL Fairer weather and cooler temperatures allowed crop conditions and yield potential to continue to improve during the past week. Rainfall was mostly limited to a few areas in the Upstate, and along the North Carolina border. Soil moisture conditions for South Carolina were 2% very short, 12% short, 85% adequate, and 1% surplus. There was a State average of 6.5 days that were suitable for fieldwork. FIELD CROPS CORN cutting is fast wrapping up for the year. Harvest was at 87% complete compared with 94% last year, and is on par with the five-year average. COTTON bolls were 98% set, with 39% of the bolls having opened. A few early maturing cotton fields will probably soon have defoliants applied. Conditions improved slightly once again to 2% poor, 20% fair, 65% good, and 13% excellent. PEANUTS harvest has begun in earnest and is 6% complete, three points behind last year, and one behind the five-year average. Conditions were at 2% poor, 20% fair, 70% good and 8% excellent. Ninety-four percent of SOYBEANS had bloomed, remaining behind last year and the five-year average. Eighty-one percent of the crop had set pods, also behind last year, and the five-year average. Conditions were unchanged at 3% poor, 25% fair, 62% good, and 10% excellent. TOBACCO harvest was nearly complete with 72% of the stalks having been destroyed. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST PASTURE conditions changed very little over the past week and were at 2% poor, 20% fair, 70% good, and 8% excellent. LIVESTOCK conditions also were marginally different from the previous week and were 2% poor, 19% fair, 72% good, and 7% excellent. Crop Progress for Week Ending September 16, 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn, Harvested : 87 94 87 :: Soybeans, Pods Set : 81 90 93 Cotton, Bolls Set : 98 100 100 :: Soybeans, Turned Color : 11 10 13 Cotton, Bolls Opened : 39 70 59 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 98 97 97 Peanuts, Harvested : 6 9 7 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 72 62 64 Soybeans, Bloomed : 94 99 100 :: Winter Grazings, Planted : 8 9 11 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending September 16, 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cotton : 0 2 20 65 13 :: Peanuts : 0 2 22 64 12 Livestock : 0 2 19 72 7 :: Soybeans : 0 3 25 62 10 Pasture : 0 2 20 70 8 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending September 16, 2012 Modified Canadian air settled over the southeast for the week bringing a stretch of dry, stable weather. On Monday morning, Pelion, Saluda and Newberry cooled to 56 degrees. At 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Shaw AFB in Sumter reported 79 degrees with 33 percent relative humidity. At the same time on Tuesday, 80 degrees with 34 percent relative humidity, on Wednesday, 80 degrees with 36 percent relative humidity and on Thursday, 80 degrees with 39 percent relative humidity. A high barometric pressure value of 30.38 inches of mercury was observed at the Rock Hill AP, Greenwood AP, Greenville AP and Clemson AP on Wednesday. The Thursday morning sunrise temperature at Chester, Calhoun Falls, Laurens and Bishopville fell to an early, October-like 55 degrees. The Kingstree AP location rebounded from 63 degrees at 7:35 a.m. to 86 degrees at 4:00 p.m. The Charleston AP and Sullivan's Island reached 86 degrees on Friday. Temperatures on Saturday continued to ease upward as did the humidity. Kings Mt. National Park, Florence, Georgetown and Beaufort recorded 87 degrees. Sunday began with most sites in the 60's before climbing into the 80's. Pinopolis and Hardeeville warmed to 89 degrees. During the evening hours, areas of rain developed over parts of northwestern South Carolina. The state average temperature for the period was three degrees below normal. The highest official temperature reported was 91 degrees at Givhans on September 15. The lowest official temperature reported was 51 degrees at Hunts Bridge on September 9 and at Jocassee and Ninety Nine Islands on September 14. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 0.35 inches at Greenville-Spartanburg AP on September 16. The state average rainfall for the period was 0.0 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 79 degrees, Charleston 78 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 82 degrees. Precipitation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2012 : from Average --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer AP : 0.35 28.73 -5.7 Anderson AP : 0.03 30.50 -1.1 Columbia Metro AP : 0.00 35.08 1.2 Orangeburg AP : 0.00 34.41 -1.0 Charlotte, NC AP : 0.03 26.44 -3.9 Augusta, GA Bush AP : 0.00 27.72 -4.9 Florence AP : 0.14 33.21 0.7 N Myrtle Beach AP : 0.00 30.47 -8.6 Charleston AP : 0.00 36.08 -3.2 Savannah, GA AP : 0.29 35.21 -1.8 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.