sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: October 1, 2012 Week Ending Date: September 30, 2012 Issue: SC-CW004012 GENERAL Dry weather prevailed during most of the week days enabling farmers to continue their harvesting, and fall plantings. Conditions declined for most crops, but were still looking good with promising yield potential. Soil moisture began to dry in many areas, and the State average was 3% very short, 33% short, 63% adequate, and 1% surplus. There was a State average of 6.5 days that were suitable for fieldwork. FIELD CROPS CORN was winding down with 96% completed by the end of the week compared with 98% last year, and 96% for the five-year average. COTTON bolls were set, with 67% of the bolls having opened. Defoliants were being applied in more areas. Conditions declined slightly, but still are looking good at 2% poor, 21% fair, 64% good, and 13% excellent. PEANUT digging was increasing and was 28% complete, compared to 18% last year, and 24% for the five-year average. Conditions for the crop were at 3% poor, 22% fair, 63% good and 12% excellent. Ninety-nine percent of SOYBEANS have bloomed. Ninety-five percent of the crop had set pods, 3 points behind last year, and 2 points behind the five-year average. Conditions had declined somewhat to 3% poor, 26% fair, 61% good, and 10% excellent. TOBACCO harvest has been finished for the year. Eighty-eight percent of the stalks have been disked. WINTER GRAZINGS plantings continued at 28% complete with 8% having emerged. WINTER WHEAT seeding also continued with 17% of the crop planted. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST PASTURE conditions declined, and were at 2% poor, 24% fair, 69% good, and 5% excellent. LIVESTOCK conditions were reported at 1% poor, 20% fair, 70% good, and 9% excellent. Crop Progress for Week Ending September 30, 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2012 : 2011 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn, Harvested : 96 98 96 :: Soybeans, Turned Color : 32 24 32 Cotton, Bolls Set : 100 100 100 :: Soybeans, Leaves Dropped : 6 7 13 Cotton, Bolls Opened : 67 85 81 :: Soybeans, Mature : 4 3 5 Cotton, Harvested : 3 13 9 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 100 100 100 Oats, Planted : 1 4 3 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 88 74 84 Peanuts, Harvested : 28 18 24 :: Winter Grazings, Planted : 28 31 28 Soybeans, Bloomed : 99 100 100 :: Winter Grazings, Emerged : 8 6 2 Soybeans, Pods Set : 95 98 97 :: Winter Wheat, Planted : 17 20 8 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending September 30, 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cotton : 0 2 21 64 13 :: Peanuts : 0 3 22 63 12 Livestock : 0 1 20 70 9 :: Soybeans : 0 3 26 61 10 Pasture : 0 2 24 69 5 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending September 30, 2012 Sunny, seasonal weather was observed on both Monday and Tuesday. Aiken reported the state's highest temperature on Monday at 85 degrees. On Tuesday morning, Chesnee cooled to 44 degrees. Hartsville reported a low temperature of 47 degrees and Walterboro reported 52 degrees. The airports at Orangeburg, Kingstree, Shaw AFB, Charleston and the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station reached 81 degrees. Warmer, more humid air arrived on Wednesday. On Thursday afternoon, Dillon, McCormick and Columbia shared a high temperature value of 88 degrees. The weekend began with more clouds for the Upstate and spotty, light rains. Isolated thunderstorms on Saturday evening produced one-inch diameter hail at Tarboro in Jasper County. Jamestown received 1.15 inches of rain. Overcast skies affected most of the state on Sunday before mid- afternoon light rains or drizzle began forming and drifting north. At 11:00 p.m., rain was falling at Charleston, Columbia and Greenville. September ended with a rainfall range of 6.98 inches measured at Caesars Head to just 0.65 inches measured at Bamberg. The state average temperature for the period was one degree above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 90 degrees at Givhans on September 26, Barnwell on September 27, and at Barnwell and Sullivan's Island on September 28. The lowest official temperature reported was 43 degrees at Table Rock on September 24 and at Chesnee and Ninety Nine Islands on September 26. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.67 inches at Georgetown AP ending at 7:00 a.m. on September 30. The state average rainfall for the period was 0.6 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 74 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 77 degrees. Precipitation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2012 : from Average --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer AP : 0.07 29.72 -6.2 Anderson AP : 0.46 31.60 -1.8 Columbia Metro AP : 0.31 36.21 0.8 Orangeburg AP : 0.60 35.03 -2.1 Charlotte, NC AP : 0.61 27.99 -3.9 Augusta, GA Bush AP : 0.83 28.95 -5.1 Florence AP : 1.44 34.11 0.0 N Myrtle Beach AP : 0.02 31.34 -10.3 Charleston AP : 0.89 37.15 -4.6 Savannah, GA AP : 1.46 36.67 -2.3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.