National Weather Summary Volume 85, No. 20 May 10 - 16, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Very cool (5 to 15 degrees F below normal), wet weather continued in California and the Great Basin for most of the week, slowing planting and crop development. Farther east, warmth expanded northward to cover most of the Nation east of the Rockies. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 10 degrees F above normal across the Great Lakes States. From the central Plains to the upper Midwest, widespread rains boosted crop emergence. Warm, mostly dry weather in the eastern Corn Belt allowed planting to proceed rapidly. Rainy, cool weather lingered through midweek, however, in the Mid-Atlantic region. Meanwhile, a 2-month dry spell intensified across the Gulf Coast States, where more than a dozen daily-record highs were established. Early in the week, heavy precipitation continued to overspread the West. On Sunday, Winnemucca, NV netted 1.15 inches of rain, breaking their calendar-day record for May. Rain changed to heavy, wet snow in some areas by midweek. On May 12-13, 24-hour snowfall reached 10 inches in Incline Village, NV, 9 inches in Truckee, CA, and 6 inches at Mt. Charleston, near Las Vegas, NV. On Tuesday, Los Angeles' (Civic Center) high of 58 degrees F was lower than their lowest temperature (59 degrees F) during all of May 1997. In southern California, 6 inches of snow accumulated in Wrightwood, elevation 6,200 feet. At nearby Mt. Wilson, month-to-date rainfall reached 10.58 inches. Rain twice overspread areas from the central Plains to the upper Great Lakes region. On Wednesday, measurable rain fell in Marquette, MI for the first time since April 18, ending their second-longest dry spell on record at 24 days. On Friday, severe thunderstorms swept northeastward from the central Plains, producing wind gusts to 70 mph in Wichita, KS and 86 mph in Omaha, NE. Weekly rainfall totaled 4.26 inches in Fargo, ND, 3.75 inches in International Falls, MN, and 2.44 inches in Huron, SD. Farther east, Tuesday marked the 12th consecutive day with a trace or more of rain in Philadelphia, PA, tying their May record set in 1894. Williamsport, PA notched 13 consecutive days with measurable rain (April 30 - May 12), breaking their all-time record set in May 1960. In contrast, extremely dry conditions, accompanied by hot weather, continued to grip areas from Texas to Florida. In Corpus Christi, TX, only 0.05 inches of rain fell from April 1 - May 16, on a pace to break their April-May record of 0.08 inches, set in 1925. For the first time on record, no measurable rain fell in San Antonio, TX during the first 16 days of May. On Thursday, measurable rain fell in Midland, TX for the first time since March 17, but amounted to only 0.02 inches. By week's end, a rainless streak in San Angelo stretched to 50 days, their ninth-longest dry spell (the record is 115 days in 1966-67), but their longest on record during the spring. In addition to the hot, dry weather, smoke from Mexican and Central American fires continued to plague much of Texas and adjacent areas of the South Central States. In Florida, Tallahassee logged three consecutive daily-record highs, including a pair of 99 degrees F readings on May 14-15. Midland registered 100 degrees F on Thursday. Late in the week, heat spread northward. By Friday, highs reached or exceeded 90 degrees F as far north as Eau Claire, WI (93 degrees F) and Houghton Lake, MI (90 degrees F). A day later, Massena, NY tallied 95 degrees F, tying their May record. National Agricultural Summary May 11 - 17, 1998 HIGHLIGHTS Temperatures averaged considerably above normal over most of the Nation east of the Rocky Mountains, promoting rapid crop development and increased field activity. In the eastern Corn Belt and Southeast, drier weather accompanied the high temperatures, allowing farmers to substantially advance corn and cotton planting. A line of thunderstorms that formed in the Dakotas and moved across Iowa improved soil moisture conditions and aided germination of small grains and corn. Cool, wet weather continued to hamper planting activities in California. Winter wheat: Above average temperatures prompted rapid development of the Nation's winter wheat crop, especially in the central Great Plains and the eastern Corn Belt. Nearly one-half of the Kansas crop reached the headed stage during the week. In Illinois and Indiana, crop development was more than 1 week ahead of normal. The crop matured rapidly in the southern Plains and harvest moved farther north in Texas and began in Georgia. Sixty-eight percent of the crop was rated good to excellent. Drier weather helped conditions improve slightly in the eastern Corn Belt. Excessive dryness caused Montana's crop to deteriorate further. Corn: Planting accelerated in the eastern Corn Belt, where sunshine and high temperatures finally allowed soils to dry. In Illinois and Indiana, farmers were back to normal progress for this date, but Ohio farmers continued well behind the 5- year average despite good progress. The pace slowed in the western Corn Belt, where many farmers were finished planting corn. Warm weather promoted rapid germination in the western and northern Corn Belt. Nationally, nearly one-half of the crop has emerged. Rain and warm weather aided germination, especially in Iowa, where over one-half of the crop emerged during the week. Soybeans: Planted acreage more than doubled from the previous week to 38 percent, well ahead of the 5-year average. With corn planting nearing completion in the western Corn Belt, farmers rapidly planted soybeans. In Iowa, farmers planted nearly one-half of their crop in spite of thunderstorms that brought heavy rainfall to some areas. Planting was also very active in the central Great Plains, especially Nebraska, where the pace was nearly as fast as in Iowa. Progress was much slower and remained behind normal in the eastern Corn Belt, where farmers were more concerned with planting corn. Soybeans had emerged on 9 percent of the acres. Emergence was most advanced in the Mississippi Delta States. In the Corn Belt, only Minnesota had a significant acreage emerged. Cotton: Hot, dry weather in the Southeast rapidly dried wet soils and allowed farmers to make rapid progress planting their cotton fields. In Georgia and South Carolina, farmers nearly doubled their planted acres. Progress was also very rapid in the Mississippi Delta region, where farmers planted more than one-third of their crop. Despite the rapid planting pace, progress remained behind normal across most of the Southeast. Cool, wet wether also kept California growers behind normal. Rice: Seventy-nine percent of the Nation's rice crop has been planted, up from 71 percent the previous week and 2 percentage points ahead of the 5-year average. Planting slowed in Texas and the Mississippi Delta States, where progress approached completion. In California, planting was active despite cool, wet weather, but remained well behind normal. Emergence was ahead of normal along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi Delta, with two-thirds of the crop rated good or excellent. Small grains: Planting of oats, barley, and spring wheat slowed as progress neared completion for all three crops. Warm weather promoted rapid germination, especially in the northern Plains, where nearly one-fourth of the spring wheat and almost one- third of the barley emerged. Oats emerged most rapidly in the Great Lakes States. The above-normal temperatures have aided conditions in most of the small grains States despite a growing shortage of soil moisture. Approximately three-quarters of the small grains were rated good or excellent in all States except Montana, where spring wheat and barley conditions were much poorer due to excessive dryness. Other crops: Sorghum planting reached 33 percent, equal to the 5-year average. Rapid progress was made in the central Great Plains despite above-normal rainfall in some major sorghum-growing districts. Growers in the Mississippi Delta States also made good progress. Dry soils limited planting in the southern Plains. Peanut planting rapidly advanced to 61 percent compared with 31 percent a week ago. Despite the rapid progress, farmers in the Southeast remained behind normal, while growers in the southern Plains continued ahead of normal. Corn: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 92 76 93 75 GA : 99 91 98 99 IL : 63 39 94 61 IN : 51 14 84 54 IA : 91 77 92 69 KS : 96 89 88 78 KY : 58 37 71 65 MI : 82 50 60 45 MN : 98 94 90 66 MO : 75 54 91 59 NE : 95 83 91 68 NC : 86 75 98 96 OH : 38 14 89 61 PA : 34 27 58 46 SD : 79 58 53 39 TX : 95 91 91 95 WI : 85 51 74 51 : 17 Sts: 78 60 86 63 -------------------------------------- These 17 States planted 90% of last year's corn acreage. Corn: Percent Emerged, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 45 18 NA NA GA : 97 86 NA NA IL : 29 11 NA NA IN : 15 4 NA NA IA : 64 8 NA NA KS : 64 37 NA NA KY : 46 23 NA NA MI : 36 22 NA NA MN : 77 43 NA NA MO : 50 *35 NA NA NE : 49 8 NA NA NC : 79 65 NA NA OH : 12 4 NA NA PA : 15 5 NA NA SD : 33 10 NA NA TX : 86 73 NA NA WI : 43 1 NA NA : 17 Sts: 46 17 NA NA -------------------------------------- * Revised. These 17 States planted 90% of last year's corn acreage. Soybeans: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 26 14 21 25 AR : 34 20 24 18 GA : 12 5 19 20 IL : 12 3 62 22 IN : 21 3 51 25 IA : 62 14 47 29 KS : 40 13 31 14 KY : 7 1 14 9 LA : 78 47 48 35 MI : 40 10 12 14 MN : 79 53 52 28 MS : 68 40 58 45 MO : 19 4 29 12 NE : 52 12 37 19 NC : 16 12 20 21 OH : 15 4 53 32 SC : 14 8 18 15 SD : 33 14 12 11 TN : 5 2 10 8 : 19 Sts: 38 15 42 23 -------------------------------------- These 19 States planted 93% of last year's soybean acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 99 *98 100 96 CA : 99 99 99 99 CO : 20 4 8 4 GA : 100 99 100 99 ID : 2 0 1 1 IL : 77 46 33 33 IN : 67 37 27 25 KS : 73 24 52 49 MI : 0 0 0 0 MO : 73 48 47 41 MT : 0 0 0 0 NE : 1 0 1 3 NC : 95 93 99 95 OH : 22 5 1 5 OK : 98 82 93 93 OR : 5 1 16 14 SD : 3 0 0 0 TX : 84 69 78 82 WA : 18 5 4 7 : 19 Sts: 60 38 48 48 -------------------------------------- * Revised. These 19 States planted 91% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Soybeans: Percent Emerged, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 14 NA NA NA AR : 19 NA NA NA GA : 3 NA NA NA IL : 1 NA NA NA IN : 6 NA NA NA IA : 0 NA NA NA KS : 10 NA NA NA KY : 0 NA NA NA LA : 63 NA NA NA MI : 5 NA NA NA MN : 27 NA NA NA MS : 48 NA NA NA MO : 3 NA NA NA NE : 7 NA NA NA NC : 9 NA NA NA OH : 3 NA NA NA SC : 0 NA NA NA SD : 7 NA NA NA TN : 2 NA NA NA : 19 Sts: 9 NA NA NA -------------------------------------- These 19 States planted 93% of last year's soybean acreage. Cotton: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 80 65 80 78 AZ : 95 89 97 96 AR : 77 39 79 67 CA : 85 60 99 97 GA : 70 37 68 76 LA : 95 66 87 88 MS : 72 42 81 80 MO : 58 16 79 59 NM : 80 70 81 80 NC : 64 41 61 74 OK : 19 12 19 18 SC : 67 38 78 82 TN : 45 10 83 69 TX : 47 34 36 38 : 14 Sts: 62 40 61 61 -------------------------------------- These 14 States planted 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 94 89 89 87 MN : 98 93 40 57 MT : 95 83 76 79 ND : 83 72 44 50 SD : 99 97 72 75 : 5 Sts : 90 81 56 62 -------------------------------------- These 5 States planted 96% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 95 93 100 90 MI : 98 93 89 81 MN : 98 96 83 83 NE : 100 100 100 99 ND : 83 63 42 47 OH : 93 90 99 89 PA : 89 82 94 84 SD : 98 95 64 70 WI : 100 94 95 76 : 9 Sts : 94 86 77 73 -------------------------------------- These 9 States planted 57% of last year's oat acreage. Barley: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 89 85 79 82 MN : 96 91 36 53 MT : 97 85 81 77 ND : 80 66 35 48 SD : 99 94 51 66 WA : 99 98 93 91 : 6 Sts : 89 79 57 64 -------------------------------------- These 6 States planted 83% of last year's barley acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 74 57 68 71 MN : 81 55 13 29 MT : 73 49 40 41 ND : 58 36 9 21 SD : 88 74 33 50 : 5 Sts : 69 47 22 32 -------------------------------------- These 5 States planted 96% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Oats: Percent Emerged, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 85 68 90 79 MI : 88 65 50 42 MN : 85 72 50 53 NE : 95 *78 88 NA ND : 46 26 4 18 OH : 82 77 89 72 PA : 68 55 71 NA SD : 80 66 20 47 WI : 95 61 58 NA : 9 Sts: 76 57 45 45 -------------------------------------- * Revised. These 9 States planted 57% of last year's oat acreage. Barley: Percent Emerged, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 65 51 51 59 MN : 77 48 8 25 MT : 77 48 31 36 ND : 52 26 5 20 SD : 80 68 18 41 WA : 95 85 75 70 : 6 Sts : 66 43 24 34 -------------------------------------- These 6 States planted 83% of last year's barley acreage. Rice: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 87 78 88 78 CA : 20 3 84 49 LA : 98 97 94 90 MS : 95 86 93 85 TX : 98 96 84 87 : 5 Sts : 79 71 88 77 -------------------------------------- These 5 States planted 96% of last year's rice acreage. Sorghum: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 83 73 88 72 CO : 9 1 7 13 IL : 2 0 17 5 KS : 12 7 19 11 LA : 93 77 74 72 MS : 69 54 91 76 MO : 15 6 39 22 NE : 29 9 24 12 NM : 8 1 10 11 OK : 10 7 8 17 SD : 26 26 4 4 TX : 63 59 59 69 : 12 Sts: 33 26 34 33 -------------------------------------- These 12 States planted 99% of last year's sorghum acreage. Rice: Percent Emerged, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 71 51 54 57 CA : 0 0 46 18 LA : 94 86 80 80 MS : 82 65 78 72 TX : 91 85 55 70 : 5 Sts : 66 53 60 57 -------------------------------------- These 5 States planted 96% of last year's rice acreage. Peanuts: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:May 17,:May 10,:May 17,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 79 49 79 75 FL : 64 38 70 NA GA : 71 31 79 82 NC : 49 16 29 54 OK : 46 35 31 21 SC : 66 30 82 79 TX : 41 22 17 17 VA : 55 30 69 76 : 8 Sts : 61 31 57 59 -------------------------------------- These 8 States planted 99% of last year's peanut acreage. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 5 32 55 7 CA : 0 0 30 40 30 CO : 4 7 13 59 17 GA : 2 8 33 52 5 ID : 0 0 4 57 39 IL : 1 3 18 66 12 IN : 1 1 16 56 26 KS : 0 4 20 61 15 MI : 0 4 19 58 19 MO : 1 10 34 47 8 MT : 5 22 43 29 1 NE : 1 8 25 57 9 NC : 1 7 28 60 4 OH : 1 2 16 51 30 OK : 1 4 20 70 5 OR : 0 0 10 52 38 SD : 0 1 10 58 31 TX : 8 19 37 33 3 WA : 0 0 17 63 20 : 19 Sts : 2 7 23 55 13 : Prev Wk : 1 7 23 54 15 Prev Yr : 5 12 33 40 10 -------------------------------------- Rice: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 0 5 31 46 18 CA : 0 0 35 35 30 LA : 0 3 26 64 7 MS : 0 3 19 67 11 TX : 0 0 45 49 6 : 5 Sts : 0 3 31 50 16 : Prev Wk : NA NA NA NA NA Prev Yr : 0 7 36 50 7 -------------------------------------- Spring Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 0 1 5 54 40 MN : 0 2 17 60 21 MT : 6 20 41 32 1 ND : 1 3 19 63 14 SD : 0 1 15 64 20 : 5 Sts : 2 6 23 55 14 : Prev Wk : NA NA NA NA NA Prev Yr : 0 0 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- Oats: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 1 3 18 58 20 MI : 1 2 20 69 8 MN : 0 2 23 60 15 NE : 1 2 23 62 12 ND : 1 3 22 67 7 OH : 0 2 21 56 21 PA : 0 1 16 70 13 SD : 0 2 17 61 20 WI : 0 2 12 67 19 : 9 Sts : 0 2 19 64 15 : Prev Wk : NA NA NA NA NA Prev Yr : 0 0 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- Barley: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 0 0 5 60 35 MN : 1 3 19 56 21 MT : 3 12 57 27 1 ND : 0 2 17 66 15 SD : 0 1 14 66 19 WA : 0 0 28 70 2 : 6 Sts : 1 4 26 55 14 : Prev Wk : NA NA NA NA NA Prev Yr : 0 0 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- Pasture and Range: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX :: State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : AL : 3 12 33 45 7 :: NJ : 0 0 0 50 50 AZ : 0 8 24 44 24 :: NM : 1 13 29 56 1 AR : 0 7 27 61 5 :: NY : 0 0 6 57 37 CA : 0 0 10 20 70 :: NC : 0 3 17 66 14 CO : 1 6 25 62 6 :: ND : 3 14 40 39 4 CT : 0 0 0 58 42 :: OH : 0 1 13 50 36 DE : 0 5 15 74 6 :: OK : 0 5 26 62 7 FL : 10 30 45 15 0 :: OR : 0 0 15 68 17 GA : 0 7 22 61 10 :: PA : 0 1 9 60 30 ID : 0 0 3 64 33 :: RI : 0 0 0 0 100 IL : 0 2 12 66 20 :: SC : 0 1 15 66 18 IN : 0 1 14 61 24 :: SD : 0 3 16 59 22 IA : 1 3 21 50 25 :: TN : 2 1 17 61 19 KS : 0 3 18 66 13 :: TX : 9 27 43 20 1 KY : 0 2 22 59 17 :: UT : 0 0 22 70 8 LA : 2 8 45 40 5 :: VT : 0 0 20 60 20 ME : 0 0 0 54 46 :: VA : 0 1 10 57 32 MD : 0 2 12 52 34 :: WA : 0 2 12 75 11 MA : 0 0 0 67 33 :: WV : 0 1 8 72 19 MI : 1 5 33 44 17 :: WI : 2 6 19 52 21 MN : 2 5 24 58 11 :: WY : 0 1 25 59 15 MS : 0 4 24 56 16 :: : MO : 0 1 15 69 15 :: 48 Sts : 2 8 24 50 16 MT : 14 25 31 28 2 :: : NE : 1 4 24 63 8 :: Prev Wk: 2 6 25 51 16 NV : 0 0 5 59 36 :: Prev Yr: 1 10 35 46 8 NH : 0 1 11 54 34 :: : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selexted States are weighted based on 1997 planted acres. The next "Crop Progress" report will be released at 4 p.m. ET on May 26, 1998. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, , write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410, or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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