sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: October 29, 2007 Week Ending Date: October 28, 2007 Issue: SC-CW004307 GENERAL South Carolina was thankful to have received a long and steady rainfall across the State this past week. As much rainfall as fell across the Low Country and Midlands, it was difficult to believe that much of the Upstate and Central Savannah River Area received less than an inch of precipitation. Even areas that had two or more inches of rain, reported little standing water in fields. Irrigation ponds remain low. Soil moisture for the week improved, but overall it is still dry. Average ratings were 39% very short, 28% short, and 33% adequate. The statewide average of days suitable for field work was 5.1. FIELD CROPS COTTON harvest is now over 50 percent complete. The cotton condition was 29% very poor, 27% poor, 32% fair, and 12% good. OAT planting should be in high gear now that we've had rain. The PEANUT harvest is moving along. Yields are not looking too bad, especially along coastal areas. The condition was 8% very poor, 19% poor, 48% fair, 21% good, and 4% excellent. The rain was too late for the SOYBEAN crop. Most of the leaves have already turned color and have fallen or begun to fall. The condition of the crop was 28% very poor, 28% poor, 32% fair, 11% good, and 1% excellent. SWEET POTATOES are still in mostly fair condition with most of the crop harvested from the field. WINTER WHEAT planting should be very active with the increased soil moisture. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST LIVESTOCK conditions changed only slightly from the previous week. PASTURE conditions did not improve as temperatures remained well above normal for much of the week, and rainfall amounts were generally lighter in upstate and western counties. APPLE harvest is beginning to wind down. Like small grains, WINTER GRAZINGS planted should move ahead at a rapid pace. Crop Progress for Week Ending October 28, 2007 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2007 : 2006 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2007 : 2006 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Apples, Harvested : 90 97 93 :: Soybeans, Leaves Dropped : 57 66 62 Cotton, Bolls Opened : 100 95 95 :: Soybeans, Mature : 24 47 41 Cotton, Harvested : 57 37 40 :: Soybeans, Harvested : 9 11 15 Oats, Planted : 28 36 45 :: Sweet Potatoes, Harvested : 80 84 80 Oats, Emerged : 8 21 30 :: Tobacco, Stalks Destroyed : 99 99 99 Peanuts, Harvested : 84 78 74 :: Winter Grazings, Planted : 52 74 68 Sorghum, Matured : 100 99 99 :: Winter Grazings, Emerged : 20 52 51 Sorghum, Harvested : 89 94 88 :: Winter Wheat, Planted : 15 24 35 Soybeans, Turned Color : 92 97 91 :: Winter Wheat, Emerged : 6 14 25 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending October 28, 2007 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cotton : 29 27 32 12 0 :: Soybeans : 28 28 32 11 1 Livestock : 2 21 52 25 0 :: Sweet Potatoes : 0 5 55 40 0 Pasture : 32 40 24 4 0 :: Winter Grazings : 25 8 55 12 0 Peanuts : 8 19 48 21 4 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending October 28, 2007 An upper level low-pressure feature, parked over Mississippi, was responsible for an extended period of warm and wet weather Monday through Friday. Florence set date record high temperatures on Monday, 86 degrees, and Tuesday, 88 degrees. Southerly surface winds became the avenue for showers and thundershowers from the mountains to the coast. Although most locations reported rainfall, the heaviest amounts fell over eastern South Carolina. Between Monday afternoon and Saturday morning, Witherbee in Berkeley County measured 4.91 inches while Greeleyville in nearby Williamsburg County measured 4.45 inches. A surface boundary of dry and colder air helped clear inland locations over the weekend. On Sunday, sites away from the coast observed mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the middle and upper 60's. Cloudy skies and chilling north to northeast winds were observed along the beaches. The state average temperature for the period was seven degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 90 degrees at Columbia AP, Columbia Owens AP, Orangeburg AP, and Barnwell on October 23. The lowest official temperature reported was 38 degrees at Lake Bowen on the morning of October 28. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.90 inches at N Myrtle Beach AP ending at 7:00 a.m. on October 27. The state average rainfall for the period was 1.7 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 71 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Ocean water temperatures at S Capers Island were reported at 73 degrees. Precipitation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Weekly : Jan 1 : Deviation : Total : Total : from Average ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer : 0.62 25.04 -17.2 Columbia : 1.45 25.23 -16.5 Orangeburg : 1.33 32.75 -9.0 Charlotte, NC : 1.80 23.90 -12.7 Augusta, GA : 0.69 25.96 -12.5 Florence : 3.60 30.63 -7.8 N Myrtle Beach : 3.74 30.12 -8.9 Charleston : 3.19 37.93 -7.8 Savannah, GA : 1.58 40.47 -3.7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.