HDR1012000170100430961200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released April 30, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Greg Preston at (202) 720-7621, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the NASS Information Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY April 22 - 28, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: A band of rain showers originated over the central Great Plains and extended to the eastern Corn Belt but, missed the critically dry wheat region in the Texas High Plains and western Kansas. A second storm system brought damaging wind that caused soil erosion and blew out many marginal wheat fields in the central Great Plains. Reports of poor wheat fields being tilled continued as producers contemplate replanting to higher-priced row crops. The continued lack of soil moisture in the southern Great Plains stressed small grain fields. Cold weather in the Great Lakes region slowed fieldwork. Windy weather in the Dakotas helped dry saturated fields, but planting was delayed for many small grains. Showers and thunderstorms left some fields too wet in the upper Delta and slowed fieldwork. Reports of increased insect activity and diseases across the Southeastern States raised producers' concern. Small grains rapidly turned color across the Southwestern States due to high temperatures. The weekend rain over the Corn Belt brought needed pre-planting moisture for row crops but left saturated fields, slowing planting progress. The Nation's winter wheat crop was in mostly fair to poor condition with 13 percent (%) of the acreage heading. In Illinois, wheat condition remained mostly very poor to poor. Winter wheat condition in Texas remained mostly poor to very poor despite favorable rain in central Texas. Warm weather caused wheat to green and develop, revealing the effects of winterkill in the middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Wheat fields in the Corn Belt with severe winterkill were tilled and replanted to corn. Insect activity and some wheat disease problems were reported across the Southeastern States and parts of the central Great Plains. Spring wheat seeding was 10% percent complete, up 6 points from last week but 25 points below the average. Spring wheat planting in South Dakota at 34% complete was 24 percentage points behind the 5-year average due to saturated fields and cool weather. Wet fields and low soil temperatures prevented farmers from planting small grains in the Dakotas. In Minnesota, 3% of the acreage was seeded, 31 points behind the average. Corn planted was 22% complete for the 17 major producing States, up 13 points from the previous week and 6 points ahead of the 5-year average. Corn planting progress in Iowa at 23% complete was up 21 points from last week, despite some producers who were waiting for warmer soil temperatures. Corn planting in Missouri surged before the weekend storm slowed field activity to 69% complete, 40 points ahead of normal. Wet fields and low temperatures limited corn planting in Illinois. Cotton planting was 19% complete, up 6 points from last week, but 6 points behind the average for the Nation. Cotton planting was behind normal in the Delta and Southeastern States, where some producers chose to plant row crops first. Excessive rain and cool soil temperatures slowed cotton planting in the Delta. Cotton planting in Louisiana and Mississippi was 6 and 4% complete respectively, up 2 points from last week but over 20 points behind the average. Texas cotton planting progressed to 17% complete, up 2 points from last week, 2 points behind normal. Cotton producers in the Texas High Plains prepared fields and applied pre-planting herbicides. Sorghum planting was 18% complete for the 12 major producing States, up 2 points from last week but 1 point below the average. In Texas, sorghum planting passed the halfway mark, 7 points behind normal. The continued dry soil conditions slowed planting progress in Texas, where some fields were replanted. Rice seeding was 48% complete, up 13 points from last week and 3 points ahead of the average for the five major producing States. Louisiana rice producers began aerial application of herbicides. Texas rice planting neared completion along the Texas upper coast. Rice planting in Texas was 79% complete, up 9 points from last week and 12 points ahead of the average. Emerged rice fields in Texas were flushed. National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 17 April 21 - 27, 1996 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Dust, raised by winds of 50 mph or more in the wake of a cold front's passage, sharply reduced visibilities across parts of the Plains on April 25. The high winds were a manifestation of an atypically strong polar jet stream, embedded in which were a series of fast-moving storms. Early in the week, rain fell from eastern Oklahoma and the Delta to New England, while unusually heavy late-season rains soaked the Pacific Northwest. Between storms, cold air briefly overspread the Plains and Ohio Valley. More persistent cold gripped the Great Lakes region, where snowfall added to impressive seasonal totals. In contrast, a broad upper-level ridge stretched across the lower latitudes of eastern Pacific Ocean, inducing record heat from Hawaii to the Southwest. More than two dozen tornadoes touched down on Sunday from Arkansas to Texas, raising the Nation's April 19-21 total to more than 110, approximately normal for the entire month. Storm-total (April 21-23) rainfall, often accompanied by hail or strong thunderstorm winds, topped an inch from eastern Oklahoma to northern New England, with isolated 4-inch totals from southeastern Oklahoma to the southern Corn Belt. Farther west, Portland, OR collected a daily-record rainfall (1.20 inches) on Monday. No rain fell, however, in primary winter wheat areas from Kansas to Texas, extending the region's dry spell to 30 weeks. On Monday, North Platte, NE noted a daily-record-tying low of 20 degrees F. A day later, lows dipped below freezing as far south as Gage, OK (29 degrees F), while daily records were established in Lincoln, NE (26 degrees F) and Wichita Falls, TX (37 degrees F). Meanwhile, a major windstorm struck the coastal Northwest on April 23, with gusts in western Oregon clocked to 116 mph in Cannon Beach and to 100 mph on Cape Blanco. High winds pushed inland on April 24, gusting to 66 mph in Pocatello, ID and 83 mph in Lander, WY. On Thursday, high winds lifted dust from dry and open fields across the central Plains and western Corn Belt. In Great Bend, KS, visibility dropped to three-quarters of a mile shortly after gusts reached 62 mph. Farther north, visibilities dropped to 2 miles at both Norfolk, NE (57 mph) and Sioux City, IA (63 mph). Closer to the storm's center, 9.6 inches of snow blanketed International Falls, MN on April 25, boosting their seasonal accumulation to a record-setting 116.0 inches. Farther east, the previous storm dropped an inch of snow on Cleveland, OH on Tuesday, pushing their seasonal total to an all-time record 101.1 inches. At midweek, cool weather lingered across the Ohio Valley, where Cincinnati, OH logged 29 degrees F. But heat intensified across the Southwest, including a daily-record high of 99 degrees F in Tucson, AZ. Among more than three dozen daily records set between April 24-27 were April-record-tying highs of 76 degrees F in Monticello, UT (on Wednesday), 98 degrees F in Riverside (March A.F.B.), CA (Friday), and 101 degrees F in Midland, TX (Saturday). Palm Springs, CA registered 111 degrees F on Friday. Temperatures also reached record-high levels in parts of Alaska and Hawaii. On Tuesday in Alaska, Bethel's high of 60 degrees F was an April record and their earliest such reading, formerly set on May 2, 1995 and 1967. In Hawaii, Honolulu's weekly temperatures averaged 5 degrees F above normal, continuing a run of April heat that has produced 20 daily-record highs in 26 days. Honolulu first tied their monthly record of 89 degrees F--last attained in 1990--on April 7, then proceeded to break the mark with highs of 90 degrees F on April 8, 23, and 25. Corn: Percent Planted, Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 37 21 7 15 AR : 36 15 85 58 GA : 93 86 95 95 CA : 95 90 94 92 IL : 29 14 7 17 CO : 0 0 0 0 IN : 7 4 4 9 GA : 71 39 93 86 IA : 23 2 1 13 ID : 0 0 0 0 KS : 60 24 15 34 IL : 0 0 1 0 KY : 26 13 58 35 IN : 0 0 1 0 MI : 0 0 1 2 KS : 0 0 5 7 MN : 0 0 1 9 MI : 0 0 0 0 MO : 69 44 26 29 MO : 0 0 15 6 NE : 26 4 3 12 MT : 0 0 0 0 NC : 78 60 80 73 NE : 0 0 0 0 OH : 4 2 6 10 NC : 33 9 61 65 PA : 5 0 8 4 OH : 0 0 4 1 SD : 2 0 0 3 OK : 27 6 54 55 TX : 74 61 71 74 OR : 0 0 0 0 WI : 1 0 0 2 SD : 0 0 0 0 : TX : 43 27 41 42 17 Sts: 22 9 9 16 WA : 0 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- : These 17 States produced 91% of the 19 Sts: 13 6 21 20 1995 corn crop. -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 92% of the 1995 winter wheat crop. Cotton: Percent Planted, Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 22 21 47 41 ID : 67 61 76 74 AZ : 86 80 76 70 MN : 3 2 2 34 AR : 5 3 8 12 MT : 16 2 35 46 CA : 65 45 44 73 ND : 2 0 1 24 GA : 18 4 33 25 SD : 34 9 5 58 LA : 6 4 20 29 : MS : 4 2 25 26 5 Sts : 10 4 12 35 MO : 2 1 4 6 -------------------------------------- NM : 40 20 35 50 These 5 States produced 96% of the NC : 14 4 19 15 1995 spring wheat crop. OK : 0 0 4 2 SC : 26 5 21 21 TN : 3 0 14 8 Rice: Percent Planted, TX : 17 15 18 19 Selected States : -------------------------------------- 14 Sts: 19 13 23 25 : Week Ending : -------------------------------------- :-----------------------: 1991- These 14 States produced 99% of the State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 1995 cotton crop. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent Sorghum: Percent Planted, : Selected States AR : 45 23 61 44 -------------------------------------- CA : 1 0 1 4 : Week Ending : LA : 72 66 66 64 :-----------------------: 1991- MS : 58 49 77 49 State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 TX : 79 70 67 67 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : -------------------------------------- 5 Sts : 48 35 55 45 : Percent -------------------------------------- : These 5 States produced 96% of the AR : 43 26 39 38 1995 rice crop. CO : 0 0 0 0 IL : 0 0 0 0 KS : 1 0 0 0 LA : 39 38 25 35 MS : 60 50 46 42 MO : 6 3 8 6 NE : 0 0 0 0 NM : 1 0 0 0 OK : 3 2 8 7 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 53 50 58 60 : 12 Sts: 18 16 19 19 -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 98% of the 1995 sorghum crop. Rice: Percent Emerged, Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 13 NA 30 21 IA : 88 61 57 70 CA : 0 NA 0 0 MI : 20 *11 0 40 LA : 59 NA 52 51 MN : 13 2 12 37 MS : 30 NA 56 14 NE : 96 80 57 77 TX : 65 NA 44 38 ND : 1 0 1 21 : OH : 43 28 59 58 5 Sts : 27 NA 34 25 PA : 41 22 58 51 -------------------------------------- SD : 30 12 5 55 These 5 States produced 96% of the WI : 20 5 9 24 1995 rice crop. : 9 Sts : 36 21 24 44 -------------------------------------- Barley: Percent Planted, * Revised. These 9 States Selected States produced 56% of the 1995 oat crop. -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- Peanuts: Percent Planted, State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 Selected States : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Percent :-----------------------: 1991- : State:Apr 28,:Apr 21,:Apr 28,: 1995 ID : 51 37 60 67 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. MN : 1 0 1 29 -------------------------------------- MT : 18 2 35 47 : Percent ND : 0 0 0 24 : SD : 14 3 2 51 AL : 14 3 20 25 WA : 40 38 60 75 FL : 9 4 NA NA : GA : 19 7 38 29 6 Sts : 14 8 20 40 NC : 5 0 0 5 -------------------------------------- OK : 0 0 0 1 These 6 States produced 82% of the SC : 0 0 0 0 1995 barley crop. TX : 5 4 2 2 VA : 6 0 15 10 : 8 Sts : 12 4 20 17 -------------------------------------- These 8 States produced 99% of the 1995 peanut crop. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 5 23 57 14 CA : 0 0 10 60 30 CO : 28 21 27 21 3 GA : 1 3 20 64 12 ID : 0 1 10 62 27 IL : 37 32 24 7 0 IN : 20 28 32 17 3 KS : 28 31 29 12 0 MI : 7 11 36 38 8 MO : 25 32 27 15 1 MT : 3 8 28 53 8 NE : 14 29 39 17 1 NC : 0 5 30 55 10 OH : 9 23 37 27 4 OK : 21 35 31 13 0 OR : 0 1 3 27 69 SD : 8 24 35 31 2 TX : 33 39 22 6 0 WA : 0 0 7 76 17 : 19 Sts : 20 26 27 22 5 : Prev Wk : 18 27 27 23 5 Prev Yr : 5 9 27 48 11 --------------------------------------