HDR1012000170100507961200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released May 7, 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 29 - May 5, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: Thunderstorms in the lower Ohio and middle Mississippi Valleys caused flooding and delayed planting. The downpours caused streams to rise and to flood bottom land, and limited days suitable for fieldwork in the eastern Corn Belt. Across the Southeastern States, rains slightly delayed fieldwork but improved crop conditions. Southwestern ranchers reported that the dry conditions are the worst they have ever experienced. Across the Southwest, pastures, stock tanks, and springs were drying up and fires ravaged grazing areas. Crop development and emergence were slowed by cool weather in the middle Mississippi Valley, although soil temperatures in the 40's did not deter farmers from planting. Rain in the central Great Plains improved crop prospects and aided germination of recently planted row crops. Cold weather prevented soils from drying in the Great Lakes region and the saturated fields prevented field preparation. The Nation's winter wheat crop was evenly split between poor and fair condition, with 24 percent (%) of the acreage heading. Winter wheat conditions in Kansas and Texas were split between very poor and poor. The recent rains in Kansas arrived too late to revive wheat fields that were damaged by wind, dry weather, and freezing temperatures. In Illinois, the recent rains improved wheat condition from last week, but the crop condition was mostly poor to very poor. In Arkansas, some wheat fields were treated for armyworms. Wheat producers in the middle Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes region tilled wheat fields and replanted them to alternative crops. Spring wheat seeding was 22% percent complete, up 12 percentage points from last week and 30 points below the 5-year average. Spring wheat planting in North Dakota, at 8% complete, was 32 points behind the average due to cool weather and wet fields. Some small grain fields in South Dakota were replanted after being damaged by strong winds. In Minnesota, 12% of the acreage was seeded, 39 points behind the average. Corn planted was 41% complete for the 17 major producing States, up 19 points from the previous week and 10 points ahead of the average. Corn planting progress in Ohio, at 4% complete, remained unchanged from last week due to the heavy thunderstorms, leaving the State 27 points behind the average. Corn planting in Iowa, at 54% complete was up 31 points from last week and 25 points ahead of normal. Minnesota and Nebraska corn producers completed planting 32% and 60%, respectively, of their corn acreage, an increase of over 30 points from last week. Wet fields and flooding limited corn planting in Illinois, where some producers hoped for warmer soil to aid emergence. Cotton planting was 33% complete, up 14 points from last week and 4 points behind the average for the Nation. Cotton planting was behind normal in the Delta. Texas cotton planting progressed to 22% complete, up 5 points from last week, 3 points behind normal. Cotton producers started planting in the Texas High Plains and replanting some fields in the Coastal Bend. Cotton planting was winding down in California's Sacramento Valley, with some fields replanted due to poor germination caused by disease and low soil temperatures. Sorghum planting was 23% complete for the 12 major producing States, up 5 points from last week. Some sorghum fields in Arkansas were treated for greenbugs. In Texas, sorghum planting was 60% complete, 6 points behind normal. Moisture was needed in Texas sorghum fields for progress to continue. Rice seeding was 62% complete, up 14 points from last week and 6 points ahead of the average for the five major producing States. Louisiana rice producers reported problems with salt water in their irrigation systems. Rice planting in Texas was 85% complete, up 6 points from last week and 8 points ahead of the average. National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 18 April 28 - May 4, 1996 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: A late-April storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of rain on the southern Corn Belt, flooding lowlands and delaying planting. The remainder of the Corn Belt also experienced significant planting delays, as damp weather coincided with temperatures up to 10 degrees F below normal. In contrast, hot weather persisted in the Southwest, where gusty winds fanned numerous wild fires. Across the central and southern Plains, meanwhile, continued drought and late-week heat further stressed wheat. At week's end, temperatures dipped below freezing across parts of the interior Northwest. On Sunday in Missouri, daily-record rainfall soaked Columbia (4.50 inches) and St. Louis (4.46 inches). In Evansville, IN, 7.92 inches fell on April 28-29, their wettest 24-hour period on record. The heavy rain lifted river crests more than 10 feet above flood stage along several Ohio and middle Mississippi River tributaries, including parts of the White (IN), Wabash (IN/IL border), and Big Muddy (IL). The storm lifted northeastward through the Great Lakes region by Tuesday, delivering a late-season snowfall from eastern Iowa to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. April 29-30 snowfall reached 3.0 inches in Dubuque, IA and 1.3 inches in Madison, WI. Farther north, totals reached 13.3 inches in Rhinelander, WI and 14.9 inches in Marquette, MI. The snow boosted Marquette's monthly (43.4 inches) and seasonal snowfall (250.8 inches) to all-time records. Meanwhile, severe weather unfolded along the storm's trailing cold front, including wind gusts on Monday in Ohio to 82 mph in Dayton and 62 mph in Cincinnati. A day earlier, gusts reached 62 mph in St. Louis, MO. In the storm's wake, high pressure surged southeastward from the Northwest. On Sunday, lows in Idaho dipped to daily-record levels in Boise (29 degrees F) and Pocatello (21 degrees F). A day later, daily records in Colorado included 22 degrees F in Pueblo and 7 degrees F in Alamosa. On the last day of April, Shreveport, LA noted 39 degrees F, their latest sub-40 degree occurrence on record. About 20 daily-record lows were set on May 1, raising the 4-day total to more than 50; temperatures dipped to 32 degrees F as far south as Asheville, NC and Bristol, TN. Cool air returned to the Northwest at week's end, producing daily-record lows of 29 degrees F in Spokane, WA and 31 degrees F in Eugene, OR. Farther east, Helena, MT registered 20 degrees F. Extreme heat remained confined to California until late in the week, when temperatures topped 100 degrees F in parts of the southern Plains. During the 4 days ending on May 1, nearly three dozen daily-record highs were established in California. On Tuesday, a high of 94 degrees F in Sacramento eclipsed their April record, while maxima of 99 degrees F in Lompoc and 90 degrees F in Monterey obliterated former daily records by 14 degrees or more. By Friday, heat reached the central and southern Plains, where highs soared to daily-record levels in Garden City, KS (94 degrees F) and Lubbock, TX (98 degrees F). Childress, TX logged 103 degrees F. In Hawaii, Honolulu's streak of warmth culminated with an April-record high of 91 degrees F on Sunday, their 11th consecutive daily record and 21st in 27 days. Cooler air overspread the State thereafter, resulting in a daily-record low in Lihue (58 degrees F on May 1). Farther north, above-normal temperatures arrived across southern Alaska after midweek, producing daily-record highs in Cold Bay (51 degrees F on Friday) and Valdez (58 degrees F on Saturday). Plains Drought Update: In Texas' Northern Panhandle, Amarillo's 211-day (October 3, 1995 - April 30, 1996) precipitation was the lowest on record (1.22 inches; 21 percent [%] of normal), breaking the record of 2.52 inches, set between September 1954 and April 1955. In addition, Amarillo received only a trace of rain during April, tying the mark set in 1929 and 1964. As of early May, severe drought extended as far northeast as Wichita, KS, where 7-month precipitation (through April 30) was 4.54 inches, or 42% of normal. The only other drier October-April period in Wichita was in 1966-67, when 3.23 inches fell. A distinguishing feature of the drought of 1995-96 has been high winds. In Wichita, winds during April averaged 15.4 mph--their windiest April since 1974--and peaked at or above 40 mph on 9 different days. Drought developed in parts of southern Texas during the summer of 1994, persisted to some degree into 1995, and has begun to intensify again in recent months. (Much more severe 2-year rainfall deficits have been observed across the northern third of Mexico.) Seven-month rainfall in San Antonio was 3.57 inches, ahead of only a 3.27-inch total in 1886-87. As a result of long-term drought, some reservoirs across southern Texas have dropped to record-low levels. The International Amistad Reservoir, along the Rio Grande near Del Rio, has been setting record lows for many months now. The water line stands 43.49 feet below the conservation level, and holdings are at 36% of the conservation-pool capacity. South of San Antonio, the Choke Canyon Lake (on the Frio River) has fallen nearly 6 feet below the former record-low level set on July 15, 1990, and is 24.15 feet below the conservation-pool level (33% of capacity). Downstream from Choke Canyon, Lake Corpus Christi remains nearly 18 feet above the record-low elevation set on May 5, 1951, but has dropped 8.42 feet below the conservation-pool level (42% of capacity). Corn: Percent Planted, Soybeans: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 77 37 12 38 AL : 9 NA NA NA GA : 96 93 97 97 AR : 10 NA NA NA IL : 49 29 14 35 GA : 3 NA NA NA IN : 8 7 14 24 IL : 3 NA NA NA IA : 54 23 8 29 IN : 2 NA NA NA KS : 85 60 26 54 IA : 4 NA NA NA KY : 30 26 66 51 KS : 8 NA NA NA MI : 1 0 9 8 KY : 0 NA NA NA MN : 32 0 24 24 LA : 11 NA NA NA MO : 77 69 26 38 MI : 0 NA NA NA NE : 60 26 5 30 MN : 2 NA NA NA NC : 90 78 92 84 MS : 29 NA NA NA OH : 4 4 7 31 MO : 4 NA NA NA PA : 12 5 24 16 NE : 2 NA NA NA SD : 19 2 1 12 NC : 5 NA NA NA TX : 88 74 86 87 OH : 0 NA NA NA WI : 5 1 10 12 SC : 4 NA NA NA : SD : 0 NA NA NA 17 Sts: 41 22 17 31 TN : 1 NA NA NA -------------------------------------- : These 17 States produced 91% of the 19 Sts: 4 NA NA NA 1995 corn crop. -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 94% of the 1995 soybean crop. Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Cotton: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 66 36 97 89 AL : 49 22 57 56 CA : 97 95 96 95 AZ : 91 86 90 82 CO : 0 0 0 0 AR : 25 5 18 28 GA : 92 71 97 97 CA : 90 65 57 84 ID : 0 0 0 0 GA : 39 18 54 42 IL : 0 0 13 5 LA : 27 6 56 54 IN : 0 0 11 3 MS : 37 4 40 41 KS : 9 0 17 22 MO : 12 2 6 13 MI : 0 0 0 0 NM : 67 40 53 67 MO : 3 0 30 18 NC : 34 14 38 32 MT : 0 0 0 0 OK : 1 0 5 5 NE : 0 0 0 0 SC : 48 26 38 42 NC : 68 33 85 74 TN : 14 3 19 21 OH : 0 0 0 0 TX : 22 17 26 25 OK : 57 27 77 74 : OR : 0 0 0 1 14 Sts: 33 19 36 37 SD : 0 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- TX : 60 43 61 59 These 14 States produced 99% of the WA : 0 0 0 1 1995 cotton crop. : 19 Sts: 24 13 32 31 -------------------------------------- Sorghum: Percent Planted, These 19 States produced 92% of the Selected States 1995 winter wheat crop. -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 57 43 49 50 CO : 0 0 1 3 IL : 0 0 0 2 KS : 7 1 1 2 LA : 51 39 42 47 MS : 66 60 61 53 MO : 9 6 9 10 NE : 2 0 0 0 NM : 1 1 1 6 OK : 8 3 8 9 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 60 53 65 66 : 12 Sts: 23 18 22 23 -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 98% of the 1995 sorghum crop. Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Rice: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : ID : 74 67 82 82 AR : 61 45 70 57 MN : 12 3 12 51 CA : 10 1 7 15 MT : 39 16 58 66 LA : 83 72 81 76 ND : 8 2 6 40 MS : 79 58 84 59 SD : 60 34 14 70 TX : 85 79 74 77 : : 5 Sts : 22 10 23 52 5 Sts : 62 48 64 56 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 5 States produced 96% of the These 5 States produced 96% of the 1995 spring wheat crop. 1995 rice crop. Spring Wheat: Percent Emerged, Rice: Percent Emerged, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : ID : 51 NA NA NA AR : 31 13 51 36 MN : 1 NA NA NA CA : 0 0 0 0 MT : 2 NA NA NA LA : 68 59 71 52 ND : 0 NA NA NA MS : 61 30 63 33 SD : 5 NA NA NA TX : 73 65 57 51 : : 5 Sts : 3 NA NA NA 5 Sts : 41 27 49 35 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 5 States produced 96% of the These 5 States produced 96% of the 1995 spring wheat crop. 1995 rice crop. Barley: Percent Planted, Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : ID : 65 51 66 75 IA : 96 88 70 79 MN : 6 1 11 44 MI : 22 20 58 46 MT : 35 18 55 62 MN : 58 13 40 59 ND : 5 0 3 39 NE : 99 96 80 90 SD : 39 14 5 62 ND : 5 1 4 36 WA : 58 40 82 84 OH : 51 43 62 77 : PA : 59 41 73 68 6 Sts : 25 14 30 53 SD : 53 30 10 63 -------------------------------------- WI : 28 20 42 45 These 6 States produced 82% of the : 1995 barley crop. 9 Sts : 51 36 42 59 -------------------------------------- These 9 States produced 56% of the Barley: Percent Emerged, 1995 oat crop. Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : Oats: Percent Emerged, :-----------------------: 1991- Selected States State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 -------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : Week Ending : -------------------------------------- :-----------------------: 1991- : Percent State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 : : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. ID : 34 NA NA NA -------------------------------------- MN : 1 NA NA NA : Percent MT : 5 NA NA NA : ND : 0 NA NA NA IA : 52 NA NA NA SD : 2 NA NA NA MI : 0 NA NA NA WA : 40 NA NA NA MN : 6 NA NA NA : NE : 79 NA NA NA 6 Sts : 8 NA NA NA ND : 0 NA NA NA -------------------------------------- OH : 28 NA NA NA These 6 States produced 82% of the PA : 30 NA NA NA 1995 barley crop. SD : 10 NA NA NA WI : 4 NA NA NA : 9 Sts: 20 NA NA NA -------------------------------------- These 9 States produced 56% of the 1995 oats crop. Peanuts: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- State:May 5, :Apr 28,:May 5, : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 29 14 40 43 FL : 35 9 NA NA GA : 41 19 59 48 NC : 10 5 11 16 OK : 9 0 1 5 SC : 55 *16 36 50 TX : 6 5 3 4 VA : 25 6 31 26 : 8 Sts : 27 12 35 31 -------------------------------------- * Revised. 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 : 0 1 16 75 8 CA : 0 0 5 60 35 CO : 20 26 35 16 3 GA : 1 3 19 69 8 ID : 0 1 8 57 34 IL : 31 33 24 11 1 IN : 13 27 36 19 5 KS : 31 31 27 11 0 MI : 14 23 40 20 3 MO : 25 31 30 13 1 MT : 3 14 26 48 9 NE : 10 26 46 18 0 NC : 0 3 28 60 9 OH : 10 24 39 24 3 OK : 25 33 29 12 1 OR : 0 0 4 40 56 SD : 15 25 35 23 2 TX : 36 36 22 6 0 WA : 0 0 7 81 12 : 19 Sts : 22 26 26 22 4 : Prev Wk : 20 26 27 22 5 Prev Yr : 5 11 26 47 11 -------------------------------------- Pasture and Range: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX :: State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : AL : 0 7 40 45 8 :: NJ : 0 10 50 40 0 AZ : 35 50 12 3 0 :: NM : 46 43 10 1 0 AR : 3 32 42 20 3 :: NY : 0 33 30 24 13 CA : 0 0 10 60 30 :: NC : 0 5 34 55 6 CO : 12 35 32 20 1 :: ND : 5 11 28 53 3 CT : 0 0 15 85 0 :: OH : 1 12 44 38 5 DE : 0 0 27 70 3 :: OK : 9 29 42 20 0 FL : 0 10 40 45 5 :: OR : 0 0 4 82 14 GA : 0 3 39 53 5 :: PA : 2 10 28 47 13 ID : 0 0 5 61 34 :: RI : 0 0 2 54 44 IL : 4 16 43 34 3 :: SC : 0 2 21 63 14 IN : 1 12 41 42 4 :: SD : 1 11 41 42 5 IA : 6 28 44 21 1 :: TN : 2 15 45 35 3 KS : 13 34 39 14 0 :: TX : 20 38 37 5 0 KY : 2 12 42 38 6 :: UT : 2 8 29 49 12 LA : 2 9 39 48 2 :: VT : 0 62 22 16 0 ME : 11 3 46 22 18 :: VA : 0 11 22 62 5 MD : 0 2 30 60 8 :: WA : 0 4 28 67 1 MA : 0 1 29 70 0 :: WV : 2 16 49 31 2 MI : 12 31 30 23 4 :: WI : 9 23 41 27 0 MN : 9 17 42 30 2 :: WY : 0 0 22 58 20 MS : 0 8 46 33 13 :: : MO : 7 30 46 16 1 :: 48 Sts : 7 20 35 32 6 MT : 0 11 29 57 3 :: : NE : 4 32 46 15 3 :: Prev Wk: NA NA NA NA NA NV : 0 2 47 51 0 :: Prev Yr: 1 9 30 48 12 NH : 4 7 46 43 0 :: : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP - Very Poor P - Poor F - Fair G - Good Ex - Excellent