HDR1012000170100827961200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released August 27, 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 August 19 - 25, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: Scattered thunderstorms throughout the Midwest brought relief to row crops, but many areas remained very dry. Warmer weather early in the week provided good conditions for crop development but increased plant requirements for additional soil moisture. Producers commented that warm, sunny weather was needed to advance crop development. Heavy rains associated with Hurricane Dolly brought beneficial precipitation to Texas in time to restore stock tanks and revive dry rangeland and pastures. The rain from Hurricane Dolly did not end the drought and arrived too late to benefit crops ready for harvest, but replenished soil moisture supplies for recently planted small grains. Cooler weather and tropical moisture improved crop conditions in New Mexico. Hot weather and dry conditions continued in the West, increasing fire danger for pastures and rangeland. In the central Great Plains, insect pressure continued, with grasshoppers and corn borers prevalent. In the Dakotas, continued dry weather stressed row crops and lowered crop conditions. Cool, dry weather provided favorable harvest conditions for hay in the Southeast, but rain was needed. In the mid-Atlantic States, cool nights and humid weather hindered hay harvesting. Hot, dry weather aided Kentucky's tobacco fields by discouraging the spread of blue mold. Spring wheat condition was mostly good to fair, with 50 percent (%) of the acreage harvested, up 21 percentage points from last week and 5 points ahead of the 5-year average. Spring wheat harvest activity in Montana at 58% complete was up 30 points from the previous week and 24 points ahead of normal. Favorable weather in South Dakota accelerated small grain harvest activity, however condition declined slightly due to short soil moisture supplies. Corn was in mostly good to fair condition, with 54% of the acreage in the doughing stage or beyond. Corn doughing for the 17 major producing States was up 17 points from the previous week, but was 16 points behind the average. Warmer weather and scattered rain over the Midwest for the week slightly improved corn development. Corn denting at 18% complete was 16 points behind the average. Doughing in Ohio at 46% complete was 41 points behind normal, while denting was 36 points behind the average. In Indiana, corn doughing at 55% complete remained approximately 13 days behind normal, while denting at 14% complete lagged the average by 27 points. More sunny, warm weather was needed in Wisconsin, where corn doughing at 30% complete was nearly 2 weeks behind normal. Cotton bolls opening was 27% complete, up 10 points from last week and 7 points ahead of the average. Cotton condition was virtually unchanged from the previous week at mostly good to fair for the 14 major producing States. Cotton bolls opening increased 25 points from last week in Louisiana, where farmers were preparing to defoliate cotton fields. Most fields were harvested in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, despite heavy rains from Hurricane Dolly that slowed harvest activity later in the week. Most precipitation that Dolly generated was confined to south Texas and did not reach the parched Texas High Plains, where cotton producers applied insecticides and reported that some dryland fields continued to drop bolls due to the prolonged dry conditions. Rice harvested for the five major producing States was 23% complete, up 10 points from the previous week and 4 points ahead of normal. Rice condition was mostly rated good to excellent, and was up in Louisiana from last week. Rice harvested in Louisiana at 62% complete was up 31 points from last week and 7 points ahead of the average. Some rice producers in Louisiana who completed the first harvest were re-flooding and fertilizing fields to prepare for the second crop. In Arkansas, rice producers were scouting fields for stinkbugs and late-season blast and were draining rice fields to prepare for harvest. Rice harvest activity in Texas was slowed by the high winds and precipitation from Hurricane Dolly. Sorghum condition for the 12 major producing States was mostly good to fair with sorghum headed at 94% complete, up 6 points from the previous week, and 9 points ahead of the average. In New Mexico, sorghum headed at 50% complete was up 34 points from the previous week, but 20 points behind normal. Sorghum turning color at 38% complete was up 7 points from the previous week and 2 points behind the average. Sorghum fields were treated for greenbugs in Texas, where cooler weather slowed crop development. Sorghum condition improved in Texas and New Mexico due to the recent rains associated with Dolly. Soybeans condition was mostly good to fair with soybeans setting pods 80% complete, up 17 points from last week and 5 points below the average. Soybeans setting pods in the eastern Corn Belt lagged behind normal. Setting pods in Ohio at 71% complete were behind the average by 24 points. In Indiana, setting pods at 60% complete remained 16 days behind the average. Soybean producers reported some white mold in Iowa, where setting pods neared completion. The continued hot, dry weather in the central Great Plains stressed some late-planted soybean fields. Scattered rain over the Midwest brought some relief to dry soybean fields, but many dry pockets remained. National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 34 August 18 - 24, 1996 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Across southern Texas, tropical rains--including the northern fringe of and remnant moisture from Hurricane Dolly--more than doubled year-to-date totals in some locations and greatly improved soil moisture for fall planting. Elsewhere, several days of warm weather, accompanied by scattered thunderstorms, favored Midwestern crop development. Meanwhile, an early-week chill yielded to another round of heat in the West. The severe Western wildfire season continued, as drought durations reached 3 months in the northern Rockies and northern High Plains and 11 months in parts of the Southwest. Late in the week, a cold front sparked showers across the East and Southeast, while hot weather spread into the northern Plains. Early in the week, cool air settled across the Northwest, while beneficial showers dampened the Corn Belt. In Oregon, Eugene (39 degrees F) and Klamath Falls (38 degrees F) logged daily-record lows on Sunday. A day later, the low in Burns, OR dipped to 33 degrees F. Farther east, weekly rainfall totaled nearly 2 inches in Moline, IL and Indianapolis, IN; both locations had received less than a quarter-inch during the first 17 days of August. In advance of Dolly, abundant tropical moisture streamed into southern Texas at midweek. Dolly twice made landfall in Mexico as a minimal hurricane, first on the Yucatan Peninsula in Quintana Roo (on August 20), then close to Tampico near the Tamaulipas-Veracruz border (on August 23). In southern Texas, weekly rainfall reached 5.53 inches in Corpus Christi (51 percent [%] of their year-to-date total) and 2.82 inches in Brownsville (57%). Corpus Christi registered daily-record totals on Friday (1.92 inches) and Saturday (2.55 inches), with the latter amount representing their greatest 1-day total since 7.92 inches fell on October 29, 1995. Despite the improvement, southern Texas' year-to-date rainfall (through August 24) remained below normal, including 35% in Brownsville, 38% in San Antonio, 39% in Del Rio, 61% in Midland, and 62% in Corpus Christi. On Thursday, the mercury reached 91 degrees F in Washington, DC, their first 90-degree day since July 17. The 35-day "cool spell" wound up 6 days shy of their summer record, set from June 1 - July 11, 1979. Cooler weather returned to the East by week's end, accompanied by thunderstorms that dropped more than an inch of rain in locations such as Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA. Locally heavy rain dotted southern Florida during the week, totaling more than 3 inches in Key West and Tampa. Farther west, hot weather returned by Friday to the Northwest, where Klamath Falls (95 degrees F) notched their first of three daily records. By August 25, the National Interagency Fire Center reported that 4.49 million U.S. acres (more than 7,000 square miles) had been consumed by wildfires in 1996, 234% of the 5-year average. At week's end, triple-digit heat spread onto the northern Plains, where highs in North Dakota reached daily-record levels in Minot (101 degrees F) and Dickinson (100 degrees F). Meanwhile, heat intensified across Hawaii and cold air settled into northern Alaska. On Saturday, several Hawaiian sites noted daily-record heat, including Kahului (95 degrees F) and Honolulu (93 degrees F). Honolulu's high also tied their August record. In Alaska, an early-season cool outbreak ended the growing season at 78 days in North Pole (31 degrees F on Saturday). On the Yukon Flats, temperatures dipped to 14 degrees F at New Lake and 16 degrees F at Beaver Creek. Corn: Percent Dough, Corn: Percent Dented, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 76 69 25 46 CO : 23 NA 0 8 GA : 100 99 100 100 GA : 99 NA 100 100 IL : 61 41 80 85 IL : 18 NA 36 47 IN : 55 38 81 88 IN : 14 NA 29 41 IA : 39 14 55 56 IA : 7 NA 18 24 KS : 96 88 54 82 KS : 66 NA 15 47 KY : 86 75 90 93 KY : 56 NA 73 69 MI : 13 3 46 37 MI : 0 NA 16 11 MN : 33 15 57 55 MN : 0 NA 16 16 MO : 92 83 59 82 MO : 69 NA 32 58 NE : 71 58 52 75 NE : 16 NA 12 34 NC : 98 96 97 94 NC : 92 NA 93 84 OH : 46 12 90 87 OH : 0 NA 29 36 PA : 56 49 75 58 PA : 16 NA 28 16 SD : 44 32 44 55 SD : 11 NA 9 21 TX : 100 99 97 95 TX : 96 NA 82 82 WI : 30 17 76 54 WI : 3 NA 28 18 : : 17 Sts: 54 37 66 70 17 Sts: 18 NA 26 34 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 17 States produced 91% of the These 17 States produced 91% of the 1995 corn crop. 1995 corn crop. Soybeans: Percent Setting Pods, Cotton: Percent Bolls Opening, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 66 54 75 64 AL : 15 6 14 11 AR : 72 64 70 66 AZ : 69 49 63 55 GA : 73 62 80 79 AR : 16 10 18 10 IL : 76 56 84 92 CA : 25 15 9 16 IN : 60 42 90 95 GA : 37 20 46 19 IA : 94 85 96 93 LA : 40 15 37 31 KS : 84 74 60 81 MS : 53 34 33 24 KY : 57 46 73 61 MO : 21 9 5 6 LA : 99 91 92 86 NM : 28 15 4 10 MI : 65 43 99 81 NC : 13 10 12 14 MN : 95 70 97 91 OK : 8 6 0 4 MS : 95 93 87 74 SC : 8 3 12 11 MO : 72 54 52 73 TN : 16 3 7 8 NE : 95 79 79 89 TX : 22 19 23 22 NC : 51 43 61 58 : OH : 71 32 95 95 14 Sts: 27 17 24 20 SC : 66 38 62 56 -------------------------------------- SD : 93 77 84 84 These 14 States produced 99% of the TN : 69 52 73 62 1995 cotton crop. : 19 Sts: 80 63 84 85 -------------------------------------- Sorghum: Percent Headed, These 19 States produced 94% of the Selected States 1995 soybean crop. -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 99 99 98 96 CO : 78 71 73 68 IL : 80 66 71 89 KS : 96 92 72 80 LA : 100 100 97 98 MS : 100 99 100 97 MO : 92 80 75 88 NE : 93 85 76 88 NM : 50 16 44 70 OK : 95 80 55 76 SD : 91 77 65 73 TX : 98 95 96 92 : 12 Sts: 94 88 79 85 -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 98% of the 1995 sorghum crop. Sorghum: Percent Coloring, Rice: Percent Harvested, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 80 65 76 74 AR : 5 3 4 5 CO : 12 1 3 10 CA : 0 0 0 0 IL : 10 7 5 34 LA : 62 31 61 55 KS : 23 15 7 19 MS : 7 1 10 6 LA : 97 86 79 86 TX : 74 55 50 50 MS : 93 92 80 80 : MO : 45 26 31 45 5 Sts : 23 13 20 19 NE : 14 7 7 25 -------------------------------------- NM : 6 2 3 11 These 5 States produced 96% of the OK : 28 25 10 31 1995 rice crop. SD : 25 18 12 17 TX : 68 66 81 77 : Barley: Percent Harvested, 12 Sts: 38 31 32 40 Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 98% of the : Week Ending : 1995 sorghum crop. :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. Spring Wheat: Percent Harvested, -------------------------------------- Selected States : Percent -------------------------------------- : : Week Ending : ID : 49 32 31 51 :-----------------------: 1991- MN : 53 36 58 65 State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 MT : 51 35 27 36 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. ND : 53 28 42 62 -------------------------------------- SD : 95 82 91 92 : Percent WA : 60 35 53 69 : : ID : 52 36 25 48 6 Sts : 54 33 41 56 MN : 47 *35 63 51 -------------------------------------- MT : 58 28 34 34 These 6 States produced 84% of the ND : 41 21 29 42 1995 barley crop. SD : 91 74 87 82 : 5 Sts : 50 29 39 45 -------------------------------------- * Revised. These 5 States produced 96% of the 1995 spring wheat crop. Oats: Percent Harvested, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 25,:Aug 18,:Aug 25,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 100 98 100 100 MI : 75 68 86 73 MN : 93 78 72 80 NE : 100 99 99 100 ND : 48 23 36 53 OH : 99 91 98 98 PA : 74 59 88 89 SD : 97 85 94 94 WI : 75 52 81 76 : 9 Sts : 80 64 76 79 -------------------------------------- These 9 States produced 70% of the 1995 oats crop. Corn: Crop Condition Soybeans: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 3 8 10 61 18 AL : 0 1 26 66 7 GA : 3 13 36 40 8 AR : 3 12 29 42 14 IL : 6 12 30 42 10 GA : 2 6 30 57 5 IN : 5 15 35 38 7 IL : 7 16 39 33 5 IA : 1 6 22 52 19 IN : 5 17 42 32 4 KS : 2 3 14 59 22 IA : 1 7 24 53 15 KY : 1 5 20 57 17 KS : 1 2 14 61 22 MI : 6 17 43 28 6 KY : 1 4 19 58 18 MN : 2 8 33 48 9 LA : 0 1 31 52 16 MO : 0 7 28 49 16 MI : 6 21 37 30 6 NE : 1 2 12 59 26 MN : 1 7 33 53 6 NC : 6 13 34 43 4 MS : 3 12 26 47 12 OH : 4 15 40 34 7 MO : 3 10 30 47 10 PA : 2 5 16 52 25 NE : 0 2 11 56 31 SD : 0 4 26 52 18 NC : 1 5 20 66 8 TX : 21 16 14 18 31 OH : 3 16 39 35 7 WI : 2 11 25 50 12 SC : 1 4 23 62 10 : SD : 0 6 21 53 20 17 Sts : 3 9 26 47 15 TN : 1 3 20 53 23 : : Prev Wk : 3 9 26 46 16 19 Sts : 3 10 30 46 11 Prev Yr : 2 7 28 50 13 : -------------------------------------- Prev Wk : 3 11 30 45 11 Prev Yr : 2 7 31 48 12 -------------------------------------- Cotton: Crop Condition Spring Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 1 2 24 65 8 ID : 0 4 11 48 37 AZ : 0 3 26 48 23 MN : 3 6 38 45 8 AR : 0 6 23 50 21 MT : 5 24 41 23 7 CA : 0 0 0 55 45 ND : 2 7 31 52 8 GA : 1 10 32 49 8 SD : 3 1 23 50 23 LA : 0 5 28 48 19 : MS : 1 5 28 44 22 5 Sts : 3 10 33 44 10 MO : 0 9 17 69 5 : NM : 0 1 14 60 25 Prev Wk : 2 10 33 44 11 NC : 6 2 14 68 10 Prev Yr : 4 10 32 48 6 OK : 2 11 26 56 5 -------------------------------------- SC : 1 4 27 66 2 TN : 0 4 24 56 16 TX : 9 15 28 34 14 Rice: Crop Condition by Percent, : Selected States 14 Sts : 4 9 24 46 17 -------------------------------------- : State : VP : P : F : G : EX Prev Wk : 4 10 24 46 16 -------------------------------------- Prev Yr : 2 10 31 48 9 : Percent -------------------------------------- : AR : 0 2 17 55 26 CA : 0 0 0 75 25 Sorghum: Crop Condition LA : 0 2 31 60 7 by Percent, Selected States MS : 0 5 29 60 6 -------------------------------------- TX : 0 0 8 54 38 State : VP : P : F : G : EX : -------------------------------------- 5 Sts : 0 2 17 59 22 : Percent : : Prev Wk : 0 2 16 64 18 AR : 2 14 33 44 7 Prev Yr : 0 1 22 60 17 CO : 1 6 12 70 11 -------------------------------------- IL : 7 14 39 37 3 KS : 1 2 12 63 22 LA : 0 1 26 63 10 Barley: Crop Condition MS : 1 11 29 49 10 by Percent, Selected States MO : 1 6 33 48 12 -------------------------------------- NE : 0 2 18 56 24 State : VP : P : F : G : EX NM : 4 17 28 50 1 -------------------------------------- OK : 0 2 7 87 4 : Percent SD : 0 1 20 66 13 : TX : 10 10 28 39 13 ID : 0 6 13 53 28 : MN : 1 16 22 46 15 12 Sts : 4 5 20 54 17 MT : 7 26 37 26 4 : ND : 1 6 25 57 11 Prev Wk : 3 7 22 53 15 SD : 0 0 24 72 4 Prev Yr : 2 9 30 51 8 WA : 0 5 34 44 17 -------------------------------------- : 6 Sts : 2 12 26 48 12 : Prev Wk : 2 9 28 49 12 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- Peanut: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 0 5 57 38 0 FL : 1 2 23 52 22 GA : 2 11 35 45 7 NC : 1 6 26 58 9 OK : 0 5 30 58 7 SC : 0 4 24 70 2 TX : 1 6 30 56 7 VA : 0 0 9 78 13 : 8 Sts : 1 7 34 51 7 : Prev Wk : 2 5 28 54 11 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- Note: US level crop conditions are weighted averages based on 1995 planted acres for the selected states. Pasture and Range: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX :: State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : AL : 1 10 40 44 5 :: NJ : 0 0 25 50 25 AZ : 24 29 25 20 2 :: NM : 10 26 32 28 4 AR : 6 21 32 32 9 :: NY : 0 0 39 61 0 CA : 5 25 30 40 0 :: NC : 1 6 20 65 8 CO : 5 11 25 52 7 :: ND : 3 11 37 42 7 CT : 0 0 26 74 0 :: OH : 7 21 41 26 5 DE : 0 2 13 83 2 :: OK : 0 6 26 47 21 FL : 0 5 10 70 15 :: OR : 1 15 44 31 9 GA : 1 10 34 51 4 :: PA : 1 8 27 46 18 ID : 2 17 35 40 6 :: RI : 0 0 8 92 0 IL : 12 21 36 28 3 :: SC : 0 14 32 46 8 IN : 9 24 41 24 2 :: SD : 2 7 31 55 5 IA : 5 14 34 41 6 :: TN : 0 5 28 57 10 KS : 1 4 20 65 10 :: TX : 17 28 36 16 3 KY : 2 13 32 47 6 :: UT : 10 21 45 24 0 LA : 0 2 23 64 11 :: VT : 0 21 36 43 0 ME : 0 25 12 53 10 :: VA : 0 1 11 63 25 MD : 1 3 15 58 23 :: WA : 0 10 44 35 11 MA : 0 1 58 41 0 :: WV : 0 3 16 70 11 MI : 6 31 40 20 3 :: WI : 6 12 33 45 4 MN : 7 18 40 33 2 :: WY : 0 6 54 40 0 MS : 3 12 33 43 9 :: : MO : 7 17 34 36 6 :: 48 Sts : 5 15 32 41 7 MT : 9 22 36 31 2 :: : NE : 0 5 21 62 12 :: Prev Wk: 5 14 32 41 8 NV : 3 18 37 42 0 :: Prev Yr: 4 14 33 42 7 NH : 0 7 46 47 0 :: : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP - Very Poor P - Poor F - Fair G - Good Ex - Excellent