HDR1012000170100415971200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released April 15, 1997, 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 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Agricultural Summary April 7-13, 1997 Highlights: Unseasonably cold, wintry weather prevailed over most of the United States during the week. Early-week rain and snow compounded widespread flooding problems in low-lying areas of the northern Plains. Temperatures in the single digits and teens in the southern Great Plains may have damaged winter wheat where snow cover was lacking. Lower-than-normal temperatures across the Nation may have caused damage to planted crops and fruit in bloom. Beneficial moisture fell across Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. However, heavy rains in Texas continued to slow fieldwork. An area extending from Florida to North Carolina received scattered showers, but overall remained dry. Winter Wheat: Nationwide, 63 percent (%) of the crop was described as good or excellent, while 9 % was rated poor or very poor. Condition declined in most winter wheat States, most significantly in Kansas and Oklahoma. Possible freeze damage was reported in many central and eastern States, but the extent of the damage has yet to be determined. The Texas wheat crop improved after receiving much-needed rainfall. Fifty percent of the wheat in Kansas was jointing, ahead of the 5-year average of 38 %. Wheat development in Georgia was well ahead of normal because of drier-than-normal weather. Overall, 5 % of the wheat crop was headed, just ahead of the average of 4 %. Corn: In the 17 major-producing States, 4 % of the corn was planted, up 1 % from a week ago and equal to the average for this date. Planting progressed well along the southern Atlantic coast but was delayed in the rest of the major corn-producing States by unseasonably cold, wet weather. Corn planting in the Boot Heel of Missouri made good progress, but the wet weather kept farmers in the rest of the State out of fields. Cotton: Planting was 9 % complete, up 3 % from last week and equal to the average. Arizona and California made good progress again this week, advancing to 49 % and 50 % complete, respectively. Some cotton was beginning to emerge in early-planted fields in California. Slight planting progress was made along the Gulf Coast and southern Atlantic coast. Farmers in southern New Mexico continued planting, and the State advanced to 15 % complete, 11 percentage points ahead of last week and 2 points ahead of the State average. Cold, wet conditions kept progress to a minimum in Texas where recent heavy rains in many southern and coastal areas may cause replanting or changing to alternative crops. Rice: Rice growers in Louisiana and Mississippi made significant progress during the week. Nationwide, 16 % of the crop was planted, compared with 12 % last week and the average of 20 %. Heavy rains in Texas have kept rice planting well behind normal for this time of year. Rice growers in Louisiana continued to report problems with water mold. Other Crops: Spring wheat seeding was 2 % complete, up 1 % from last week but still behind the average of 7 %. The planting start date in the Dakotas and Minnesota was further delayed by flooding and very low temperatures. Planting in Montana and Idaho was also behind normal due to cold, wet weather. Sorghum planting progressed to 13 % complete, 2 points ahead of last week, but 4 % behind the average for the Nation. Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas were the only States to report progress. Peanut planting was 2 % complete, slightly ahead of the average of 1 %. South Carolina reported the most progress, with 10 % of the crop in the ground. Five % of the US barley crop was planted, somewhat behind the average of 12 %. Planting in all major barley-producing States was behind normal because of cold, wet growing conditions. Seeding progress for oats was 14 % complete, just behind the average of 17 %. Farmers planted oats well ahead of normal in the eastern Great Lakes region. However, unseasonably wintry weather in the other major oat-producing States has kept farmers out of fields. National Weather Summary Volume 84, No. 15 April 6 - 12, 1997 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: A formidable high-pressure system chilled the Nation, causing probable damage to jointing- to heading-stage winter wheat from southern Kansas to northern Texas on April 11-13. More than 300 daily-record lows were reported during the cold snap, and weekly temperatures averaged 10 to 25 degrees below normal throughout the Plains and Midwest. Despite the chill, major to record flooding--complicated by ice congestion--continued in the Red and upper Mississippi River basins. The James River began to recede at most gauging points. Cooler-than-normal conditions also encompassed the rest of the Nation, except Florida, where temperatures averaged up to 5 degrees F above normal. After midweek, significant moisture overran cold air near the Earth's surface, resulting in significant snow accumulations from the central Plains into the Midwest. Heavy rains further boosted topsoil moisture from southern Kansas to northern Texas. Farther east, scattered showers allowed for beneficial drying in some areas from southern Texas to the lower Ohio Valley, but heavy rainfall soaked the lower Delta region. Late in the week, rain spread into the East. Scattered thunderstorms provided much-needed moisture to parts of the Southeast. Early in the week, blizzard conditions continued across the North Central States. Storm-total snowfall wound up at 17.3 inches in Bismarck, ND, 13.8 inches in Billings, MT, and 11.8 inches in Casper, WY. Seasonal snowfall records were eclipsed in both Bismarck (91.8 inches in 1993-94) and Billings (93.8 inches in 1954-55). Rain plus melted-snow totals reached 4.04 inches in Rapid City, SD and 2.88 inches in Fargo, ND. On Sunday, wind chill temperatures dipped into the -20 to -35 degrees F range across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. Peak wind gusts were clocked to 76 mph in Kenosha, WI, 70 mph in Huron, SD, 68 mph in Davenport, IA, 64 mph in Rockford, IL, and 62 mph in Muskegon, MI. A gust to 56 mph in Des Moines, IA was their highest since October 29, 1996. Very cold weather prevailed in the storm's wake. On Sunday, a freeze across the interior Northwest resulted in daily-record lows in locations such as Yakima, WA (23 degrees F) and Pendleton, OR (27 degrees F). By Tuesday, temperatures on the northern Plains dipped to -8 degrees F in Dickinson, ND and 6 degrees F in Aberdeen, SD. A day later, April-record lows were tied in Champaign, IL (16 degrees F) and Indianapolis, IN (18 degrees F). An April record of 15 degrees F was established in Cincinnati, OH. Cold air rushed into the Middle Atlantic region by Thursday, threatening fruit-tree blooms. In Virginia, lows dipped to 23 degrees F in Sterling and 21 degrees F in Harrisonburg. Meanwhile, very warm conditions dominated Alaska, where weekly temperatures across the west and north averaged more than 20 degrees F above normal. On April 6, Fairbanks' high of 61 degrees F was their earliest 60-degree reading on record, and one of five daily-record highs during the week. Other locations noting daily records included Juneau (56 degrees F on Monday) and Yakutat (63 degrees F on Thursday). Heavy rain fell across extreme southern Alaska, where Kodiak tallied a record 24-hour rainfall for the month (2.99 inches on April 9), breaking their record set just 5 days earlier. As early as Tuesday, snow developed on parts of the central Plains. In Wichita, KS, a 2.0-inch accumulation was their latest in the season since 1973. Snowfall intensified later in the week, overspreading the central Plains and the Midwest in two waves between April 9 and 12. On Thursday, 4.1 inches blanketed St. Louis, MO, their fifth-greatest April snowstorm. April snowfall records were established in Omaha, NE (13.8 inches), Moline, IL (13.3 inches), and Lincoln, NE (11.1 inches). The two-part storm boosted monthly snowfall to 22.2 inches in Scottsbluff, NE, 52 percent (%) of their seasonal total. Farther south, the system raised April 1-12 rainfall to 10.86 inches (1,429%) in Victoria, TX, 6.14 inches (294%) in Baton Rouge, LA, 3.67 inches (408%) in Wichita, KS, and 2.83 inches (295%) in Oklahoma City, OK. In the storm's wake, late-week temperatures again plummeted on the Plains. Highs on Friday were the lowest on record in April at Goodland, KS (20 degrees F) and Colorado Springs, CO (22 degrees F). In Texas, Amarillo's high of 29 degrees F was second only to a high of 27 degrees F on April 12, 1957. A day later in Missouri, Springfield's high of 36 degrees F was their lowest in April since 1916. Temperatures bottomed out on April 12 at many locations across the Western and Central States. April records were tied or broken in Casper, WY (-6 degrees F), Pueblo, CO (2 degrees F), and Russell, KS (14 degrees F). Deep snow cover protected some wheat across northern Kansas, but most areas farther south were exposed to lows in the teens and twenties. In northern Texas, lows included 17 degrees F in Amarillo, 22 degrees F in Lubbock, and 25 degrees F in Midland. Across western Kansas, readings dipped to 6 degrees F in Scott City and 10 degrees F in Garden City. Cold air again cloaked the Northwest, bettering Sunday's lows by a degree in Yakima (22 degrees F) and Pendleton (26 degrees F). Corn: Percent Planted, Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 2 0 0 0 AR : 26 NA 5 8 GA : 89 78 67 74 CA : 70 NA 67 59 IL : 2 1 3 2 CO : 0 NA 0 0 IN : 1 0 0 0 GA : 78 NA 16 31 IA : 0 0 0 0 ID : 0 NA 0 0 KS : 4 3 3 5 IL : 0 NA 0 0 KY : 10 1 2 8 IN : 0 NA 0 0 MI : 0 0 0 0 KS : 0 NA 0 0 MN : 0 0 0 0 MI : 0 NA 0 0 MO : 13 7 16 11 MO : 0 NA 0 0 NE : 0 0 0 0 MT : 0 NA 0 0 NC : 32 11 27 29 NE : 0 NA 0 0 OH : 2 0 1 1 NC : 10 NA 6 7 PA : 0 0 0 0 OH : 0 NA 0 0 SD : 0 0 0 0 OK : 7 NA 1 7 TX : 50 40 55 52 OR : 0 NA 0 0 WI : 0 0 0 0 SD : 0 NA 0 0 : TX : 14 NA 10 13 17 Sts: 4 3 4 4 WA : 0 NA 0 0 -------------------------------------- : These 17 States produced 90% of the 19 Sts: 5 NA 3 4 1996 corn crop. -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 92% of the 1996 winter wheat crop. Cotton: Percent Planted, Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 9 2 9 6 ID : 40 24 51 45 AZ : 49 25 39 37 MN : 0 0 0 3 AR : 0 0 1 0 MT : 1 0 0 10 CA : 50 30 19 21 ND : 0 0 0 2 GA : 5 1 1 2 SD : 1 1 2 16 LA : 0 0 0 2 : MS : 1 0 1 2 5 Sts : 2 1 2 7 MO : 0 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- NM : 15 4 4 13 These 10 States produced 96% of the NC : 2 0 0 0 1996 spring wheat crop. OK : 0 0 0 0 SC : 4 1 2 1 TN : 0 0 0 1 Rice: Percent Planted, TX : 7 6 12 13 Selected States : -------------------------------------- 14 Sts: 9 6 8 9 : Week Ending : -------------------------------------- :-----------------------: 1992- These 14 States produced 99% of the State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 1996 cotton crop. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent Sorghum: Percent Planted, : Selected States AR : 8 7 10 13 -------------------------------------- CA : 0 0 0 0 : Week Ending : LA : 53 40 51 44 :-----------------------: 1992- MS : 26 12 26 22 State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 TX : 6 2 59 44 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : -------------------------------------- 5 Sts : 16 12 22 20 : Percent -------------------------------------- : These 10 States produced 96% of the AR : 21 11 13 14 1996 rice crop. CO : 0 0 0 0 IL : 0 0 0 0 KS : 0 0 0 0 LA : 17 0 9 9 MS : 22 10 18 17 MO : 0 0 0 0 NE : 0 0 0 0 NM : 0 0 0 0 OK : 0 0 0 2 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 37 31 44 49 : 12 Sts: 13 11 15 17 -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 99% of the 1996 sorghum crop. Barley: Percent Planted, Peanuts: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : ID : 21 NA 29 33 AL : 2 NA 0 1 MN : 0 NA 0 1 FL : 0 NA 2 NA MT : 2 NA 0 14 GA : 3 NA 1 2 ND : 0 NA 0 1 NC : 0 NA 0 0 SD : 0 NA 0 12 OK : 0 NA 0 0 WA : 22 NA 30 47 SC : 10 NA NA NA : TX : 0 NA 2 1 6 Sts : 5 NA 6 12 VA : 0 NA 0 0 -------------------------------------- : These 6 States produced 82% of the 8 Sts : 2 NA 1 1 1996 barley crop. -------------------------------------- These 8 States produced 99% of the 1996 peanut crop. Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- State:Apr 13,:Apr 6, :Apr 13,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 38 NA 30 45 MI : 18 NA 0 0 MN : 0 NA 0 5 NE : 38 NA 47 45 ND : 0 NA 0 2 OH : 46 NA 10 21 PA : 35 NA 13 14 SD : 1 NA 3 14 WI : 1 NA 1 6 : 9 Sts : 14 NA 10 17 -------------------------------------- These 9 States produced 56% of the 1996 oat crop. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 3 17 45 28 7 CA : 0 10 10 35 45 CO : 4 12 37 40 7 GA : 0 10 26 60 4 ID : 0 4 16 58 22 IL : 2 3 19 63 13 IN : 2 8 24 52 14 KS : 1 8 28 55 8 MI : 3 9 34 35 19 MO : 1 8 28 50 13 MT : 1 3 41 51 4 NE : 0 5 40 49 6 NC : 0 2 18 74 6 OH : 4 13 33 41 9 OK : 0 9 25 61 5 OR : 0 1 17 72 10 SD : 4 17 34 41 4 TX : 1 9 29 44 17 WA : 0 3 13 67 17 : 19 Sts : 1 8 28 53 10 : Prev Wk : 1 5 24 55 15 Prev Yr : 16 27 30 22 5 -------------------------------------- The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12 P.M. ET on April 22, 1997. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. 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