Release September 29, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather & Crop Bulletin" call Mark E. Miller at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 85, No. 39 September 20-26, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. HIGHLIGHTS: Two tropical systems, Tropical Storm Hermine and Hurricane Georges, and two strong cold fronts that affected the eastern half of the Nation, accounted for the majority of this week's rainfall and attention. Before a weakened Georges lashed the Florida Keys on Friday and threatened the eastern Gulf Coast at week's end, it tore through the Caribbean with sustained winds up to 120 mph, devastating the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispanola, and eastern Cuba (see back cover for track). Georges caused an estimated several billions of dollars in damage and took at least 300 lives, with Hispanola and Puerto Rico particularly hard hit. On the morning of September 20, weak Tropical Storm Hermine made landfall near Cocodrie in southeastern Louisiana, but it rapidly dissipated later that day. Its minimal impacts to southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi included minor flooding from 1 to 3 inches of rain falling on saturated soils caused by Tropical Storm Francis' copious rains a week earlier. Meanwhile, two slow-moving cold fronts, one traversing the northeastern quarter of the Nation during the first half of the week while the second pushed southeastward into the upper Midwest and central Plains by week's end, brought 2 to 4 inches of rain to eastern Kansas, western Missouri, central Oklahoma, and western Arkansas, and lesser amounts to the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys and central Appalachians. The rains missed most of the parched winter wheat areas of the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, eastern Colorado, and western Kansas, but favorably dry weather persisted over the northern Delta's cotton area where bolls were open. Farther west, an upper-air low over the Great Basin brought cool, unsettled weather to the Northwest, providing additional moisture for the winter wheat. Above-normal temperatures persisted across the southern and eastern United States, especially toward the week's end as over 60 daily records were set during Friday and Saturday. Weekly departures between +6 F and +10 F were common from the southern Rockies northeastward into the Tennessee Valley, and warmer-than-normal conditions covered the remainder of the Nation east of the Rockies, and the northern Intermountain West. With an upper-level low settled over the Great Basin, cooler-than-normal weather was observed across much of the West, with the largest negative departures (-3 F to -7 F) in interior California. Most of Alaska recorded a wet and mild week, while Hawaii measured near- to below-normal temperatures. We 1 (9-98) On Sunday, Hurricane Georges, weakened from its dangerous category four status earlier on Saturday, approached the northern Leeward Islands with sustained winds of 110 mph while Hermine dissipated harmessly in eastern Louisiana. Meanwhile, unseasonably warm air ahead of a cold front pushed readings into the 80's F in northern Michigan, including a record 87 F at Alpena, MI. As the front slowly tracked southeastward and eventually stalled across the central Great Plains, showers and thunderstorms developed along the stationary front, bringing 2 to 4 inches of rain to the area. The northern portion of the front raced eastward, dropping lesser amounts of rain on the eastern Great Lakes region and Northeast Monday and Tuesday. In the Southeast, moisture from the remnants of Hermine and an old frontal boundary triggered slow-moving thunderstorms that dumped a daily record 10.52 inches of rain on Charleston, SC Monday, eclipsing the former record of 4.84 inches from Hurricane Hugo in 1989. By Tuesday, cloud cover and cool northerly winds kept Dodge City, KS maximum to a record low 56 F, a huge swing from when it reached 98 F three days earlier. As high pressure dropped southward out of the Canada, fall-like weather enveloped the north-central States, replacing mid-month's record warmth with highs in the 60's F and lows in the 30's F. By mid-week, the cold front had advanced off the East Coast and to the eastern Gulf Coast. After Georges had battered Puerto Rico on Monday, Hispanola on Tuesday, and eastern Cuba on Wednesday, it re-emerged over open waters on Thursday in the Florida Straits and threatened the Florida Keys on Friday as it slowly strengthened. By Friday afternoon, the center of Georges passed near Key West, FL with sustained winds of 105 mph and heavy rains, but mandatory evacuations kept injuries and fatalities to a minimum. As it tracked to the northwest into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, additional evacuations of low-lying areas along the central and eastern Gulf Coast were mandated by week's end. Farther north, southerly flow around the back side of high pressure centered over the mid-Atlantic and a southward advancing cold front from Canada triggered showers and thunderstorms in the central Great Plains and upper Midwest, including 1.69 inches of rain at Wausau, WI during a 24-hour period ending 8 am EDT Saturday. Summer-like conditions enveloped the southern and central Plains on Friday as nearly three dozen record highs were set, including 100 F at Grand Island, NE, its latest reading of triple-digits. The warmth expanded northeastward on Saturday as over 30 more record highs were broken. With so many record highs, the warmth also persisted into the night as nearly two dozen stations established new record high minimums during September 25-26. National Agricultural Summary September 21 - 27, 1998 Highlights: Crops continued to quickly ripen in the Corn Belt, Great Plains, Delta, and Southeast due to above-normal temperatures that prevailed east of the Rocky Mountains. Most of the Great Plains remained dry, allowing fall tillage operations to continue at a good pace, but dry soils discouraged some growers from continuing with winter wheat seeding. Dry weather in the Corn Belt and Delta States aided harvest progress, while rain slowed fieldwork along the Gulf Coast and parts of the Southeast. Below-normal temperatures prevailed in the Southwest, but crops continued to ripen and the harvest pace gained momentum. Corn: Warm weather continued to quickly ripen the Nation's corn crop, as 89 percent of the crop has reached maturity. Development remained well over 1 week ahead of the normal pace of 62 percent and nearly 2 weeks ahead of the slow 1997 pace. Harvest progress, aided by dry weather across most of the Corn Belt and Great Plains States, steadily advanced to 22 percent. Although many farmers were waiting for mother nature to dry the corn for them, harvest progress remained more than 1 week ahead of the 5-year average. Soybeans: The Nation's soybeans also quickly ripened due to the hot, dry weather. Eighty percent of the crop was dropping leaves, up 15 percentage points from the previous week, and more than 1 week ahead of the 63 percent average pace. Development rapidly continued in the Corn Belt, especially along the Ohio River Valley and northern Delta region. The pace was much slower in the Southeast and Atlantic Coastal States, where development varied from slightly behind normal to slightly ahead of normal. The harvest pace accelerated, advancing to 20 percent complete, compared with the normal 9 percent. Cotton: Bolls were opening on 82 percent of the Nation's cotton fields, compared with the 74 average for this date. In the Delta region, virtually all fields had bolls opening. In California, progress advanced 25 percentage points despite much cooler weather. Harvest activity continued at a normal pace, advancing to 23 percent, 1 week ahead of the 16 percent average. Growers in many areas continued applying defoliants to prepare fields for harvest. Winter wheat: Dry conditions continued to prevail in the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest, allowing planting preparations to rapidly move forward, but hindering seeding operations. Nationally, 33 percent of the crop has been seeded, compared with 39 percent normally planted by this date. Growers made good progress in Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota, while seeding progress fell further behind-normal in Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Pacific Northwest. In the Corn Belt, planting was just beginning. Warm weather aided crop germination and emergence, where soil moisture was adequate, but emergence advanced only 7 percentage points, to 15 percent. Rice: Harvest progressed to 71 percent complete, nearly 1 week ahead of the 62 percent normal pace for this date. Harvest activity continued at a steady rate in the Delta rice-producing areas and accelerated in California. Late-season harvest continued in the western Gulf Coast States, where the harvest was nearly finished. Sorghum: Seventy-six percent of the crop has matured, compared with 61 percent a week ago and 58 percent normally mature by this date. Harvest continued at a slow pace, advancing just 4 percentage points, to 34 percent, but remained ahead of the 5-year average. Harvest activity continued to focus on the Delta States, while progress lagged in the southern Plains. Peanuts: The peanut harvest advanced just 7 percentage points, to 19 percent. Normally, 28 percent of the crop would be harvested by this date. Progress fell further behind normal in the major peanut-producing States in the Southeast due to early-week rains from Tropical Storm Hermine. In the southern Plains, the harvest pace was slow, but remained ahead of the 5-year average. Corn: Percent Mature, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 70 41 58 46 GA : 100 100 100 100 IL : 85 65 53 68 IN : 85 73 49 65 IA : 97 88 77 71 KS : 93 91 81 79 KY : 92 82 64 80 MI : 88 55 14 39 MN : 97 82 42 52 MO : 91 86 87 77 NE : 92 83 62 61 NC : 95 90 95 99 OH : 68 41 16 36 PA : 40 24 29 35 SD : 88 63 57 55 TX : 97 96 91 93 WI : 91 58 23 41 : 17 Sts: 89 74 56 62 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 17 States planted 90% of last year's corn acreage. Corn: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 6 0 2 3 GA : 95 90 92 91 IL : 22 11 4 7 IN : 14 8 4 7 IA : 13 6 3 5 KS : 53 39 23 22 KY : 59 56 21 32 MI : 11 5 1 5 MN : 18 6 2 3 MO : 42 35 27 25 NE : 21 8 4 5 NC : 75 60 63 64 OH : 9 5 0 4 PA : 7 6 7 7 SD : 14 6 2 3 TX : 84 77 74 76 WI : 10 5 1 4 : 17 Sts: 22 14 8 10 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 17 States harvested 92% of last year's corn acreage. Soybeans: Percent Dropping Leaves, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 58 48 54 40 AR : 42 25 22 23 GA : 40 32 63 47 IL : 77 50 72 65 IN : 92 87 81 77 IA : 88 71 77 69 KS : 90 86 77 67 KY : 60 40 34 37 LA : 81 76 73 60 MI : 81 68 47 59 MN : 98 88 92 76 MS : 79 69 67 59 MO : 60 46 57 45 NE : 92 71 87 70 NC : 25 20 23 21 OH : 90 76 71 78 SC : 12 9 16 8 SD : 96 87 92 77 TN : 55 35 36 39 : 19 Sts: 80 65 70 63 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States planted 93% of last year's soybean acreage. Cotton: Percent Bolls Opening, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 85 75 58 70 AZ : 93 90 100 100 AR : 86 78 77 80 CA : 60 35 100 95 GA : 79 77 67 77 LA : 100 95 90 95 MS : 100 100 83 93 MO : 100 95 84 78 NM : 74 64 79 78 NC : 90 85 63 84 OK : 96 86 47 45 SC : 85 75 68 76 TN : 99 90 80 91 TX : 77 65 63 58 : 14 Sts: 82 73 72 74 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 14 States planted 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Soybeans: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 6 2 3 3 AR : 11 6 7 5 GA : 1 0 1 1 IL : 17 5 10 12 IN : 20 9 5 9 IA : 24 5 6 9 KS : 13 9 6 7 KY : 10 0 6 3 LA : 47 30 40 25 MI : 10 3 3 4 MN : 36 14 12 7 MS : 49 29 33 26 MO : 7 3 4 3 NE : 14 4 5 11 NC : 0 0 0 0 OH : 20 6 3 9 SC : 0 0 0 0 SD : 21 7 7 7 TN : 2 0 2 2 : 19 Sts: 20 7 8 9 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States harvested 93% of last year's soybean acreage. Cotton: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 20 11 6 10 AZ : 9 7 24 17 AR : 15 4 4 10 CA : 0 0 9 4 GA : 15 9 5 11 LA : 24 12 20 24 MS : 35 18 8 18 MO : 15 2 5 11 NM : 0 0 2 0 NC : 10 3 1 5 OK : 5 1 0 2 SC : 23 13 5 9 TN : 22 11 3 11 TX : 34 30 20 24 : 14 Sts: 23 17 12 16 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 14 States harvested 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 0 1 3 CA : 0 0 0 0 CO : 76 48 79 71 GA : 1 0 1 1 ID : 27 14 38 35 IL : 1 0 3 3 IN : 7 4 10 9 KS : 21 10 31 31 MI : 24 6 20 20 MO : 3 1 7 7 MT : 40 23 61 36 NE : 80 58 70 70 NC : 10 5 7 10 OH : 6 0 2 6 OK : 17 9 27 37 OR : 13 3 22 26 SD : 74 50 84 80 TX : 45 36 47 47 WA : 70 60 75 66 : 19 Sts: 33 21 39 39 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States planted 91% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Sorghum: Percent Mature, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 96 85 91 93 CO : 30 25 4 18 IL : 42 21 35 46 KS : 78 56 49 45 LA : 100 100 100 98 MS : 100 95 92 97 MO : 81 70 66 63 NE : 89 51 65 51 NM : 8 4 8 17 OK : 35 32 51 32 SD : 76 54 58 52 TX : 82 78 76 82 : 12 Sts: 76 61 60 58 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 12 States planted 99% of last year's sorghum acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 0 0 0 0 CA : 0 0 0 0 CO : 45 20 45 28 GA : 0 0 0 0 ID : 8 3 15 11 IL : 0 0 0 0 IN : 1 1 4 1 KS : 9 3 14 13 MI : 3 0 5 3 MO : 0 0 0 0 MT : 4 2 30 10 NE : 46 23 47 35 NC : 0 0 0 0 OH : 0 0 0 0 OK : 3 2 8 10 OR : 2 0 7 8 SD : 40 26 50 44 TX : 17 12 22 23 WA : 55 30 52 46 : 19 Sts: 15 8 19 17 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States planted 91% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Sorghum: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 83 67 71 72 CO : 1 0 1 2 IL : 3 1 1 3 KS : 20 15 11 11 LA : 98 90 95 88 MS : 97 85 75 81 MO : 38 26 20 22 NE : 5 2 2 4 NM : 0 0 0 2 OK : 18 16 7 9 SD : 15 9 3 3 TX : 61 59 58 67 : 12 Sts: 34 30 28 31 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 12 States harvested 99% of last year's sorghum acreage. Rice: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 72 56 56 60 CA : 20 10 56 24 LA : 99 95 91 89 MS : 86 77 65 67 TX : 96 94 86 90 : 5 Sts : 71 60 66 62 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States harvested 96% of last year's rice acreage. Peanuts: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Sep 27,:Sep 20,:Sep 27,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 24 11 62 44 FL : 22 16 58 21 GA : 23 14 47 43 NC : 5 3 6 6 OK : 5 0 2 5 SC : 20 15 32 27 TX : 20 17 18 10 VA : 15 9 8 20 : 8 Sts : 19 12 35 28 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 8 States harvested 99% of last year's peanut acreage. Corn: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 1 2 12 48 37 GA : 37 29 23 10 1 IL : 4 7 24 51 14 IN : 3 6 27 50 14 IA : 2 5 19 50 24 KS : 1 2 19 60 18 KY : 1 6 26 53 14 MI : 7 16 35 36 6 MN : 1 3 20 50 26 MO : 2 14 34 41 9 NE : 1 2 16 57 24 NC : 12 30 36 22 0 OH : 1 6 22 53 18 PA : 3 10 34 42 11 SD : 0 2 10 54 34 TX : 8 13 35 38 6 WI : 1 3 17 46 33 : 17 Sts : 3 6 22 49 20 : Prev Wk : 3 7 22 50 18 Prev Yr : 2 7 26 51 14 -------------------------------------- Cotton: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 6 10 53 29 2 AZ : 4 16 47 26 7 AR : 3 16 37 36 8 CA : 0 0 55 45 0 GA : 11 25 35 26 3 LA : 17 19 42 17 5 MS : 5 12 40 36 7 MO : 15 25 41 19 0 NM : 0 7 30 37 26 NC : 1 12 20 66 1 OK : 6 18 28 42 6 SC : 8 23 46 22 1 TN : 4 12 34 41 9 TX : 23 25 31 18 3 : 14 Sts : 13 19 36 28 4 : Prev Wk : 14 19 36 27 4 Prev Yr : 2 11 33 46 8 -------------------------------------- Soybeans: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 5 31 43 17 4 AR : 10 24 39 22 5 GA : 24 23 34 17 2 IL : 4 7 25 48 16 IN : 3 6 26 51 14 IA : 1 3 19 50 27 KS : 2 9 26 50 13 KY : 5 15 39 34 7 LA : 19 34 30 16 1 MI : 3 11 32 41 13 MN : 0 6 22 51 21 MS : 7 22 29 37 5 MO : 8 16 33 34 9 NE : 0 2 22 53 23 NC : 2 10 28 57 3 OH : 1 5 25 51 18 SC : 8 21 49 22 0 SD : 0 2 14 55 29 TN : 9 20 39 27 5 : 19 Sts : 4 9 26 45 16 : Prev Wk : 4 10 27 43 16 Prev Yr : 2 8 30 49 11 -------------------------------------- Sorghum: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 4 19 42 31 4 CO : 0 3 17 60 20 IL : 7 11 39 39 4 KS : 1 5 26 53 15 LA : 1 22 43 31 3 MS : 0 21 57 22 0 MO : 2 10 29 51 8 NE : 0 1 13 67 19 NM : 16 49 26 9 0 OK : 6 7 16 70 1 SD : 0 2 15 73 10 TX : 14 31 33 19 3 : 12 Sts : 6 15 27 43 9 : Prev Wk : 7 15 26 43 9 Prev Yr : 0 0 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- Peanut: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 4 14 53 23 6 FL : 0 0 28 72 0 GA : 7 17 30 35 11 NC : 0 0 5 94 1 OK : 5 14 37 44 0 SC : 9 28 50 13 0 TX : 18 20 30 26 6 VA : 3 12 31 54 0 : 8 Sts : 8 14 31 41 6 : Prev Wk : 7 13 39 35 6 Prev Yr : 5 21 42 27 5 -------------------------------------- Pasture and Range: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX :: State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : AL : 8 28 48 16 0 :: NJ : 0 40 40 20 0 AZ : 2 9 27 51 11 :: NM : 14 23 31 29 3 AR : 9 25 43 21 2 :: NY : 0 10 35 55 0 CA : 5 10 10 75 0 :: NC : 20 32 25 22 1 CO : 2 9 31 50 8 :: ND : 7 25 45 22 1 CT : 0 0 65 35 0 :: OH : 5 18 37 34 6 DE : 0 28 39 33 0 :: OK : 22 27 37 14 0 FL : 0 0 50 45 5 :: OR : 3 7 53 19 18 GA : 12 23 36 23 6 :: PA : 22 28 35 14 1 ID : 0 9 32 46 13 :: RI : 0 0 22 65 13 IL : 4 12 31 46 7 :: SC : 8 15 36 40 1 IN : 10 24 40 23 3 :: SD : 3 8 29 48 12 IA : 6 17 35 34 8 :: TN : 17 38 33 12 0 KS : 1 12 34 47 6 :: TX : 18 22 33 23 4 KY : 16 37 34 11 2 :: UT : 0 6 23 62 9 LA : 8 20 40 29 3 :: VT : 0 0 5 43 52 ME : 3 27 38 32 0 :: VA : 36 37 22 5 0 MD : 21 39 21 18 1 :: WA : 3 21 49 27 0 MA : 0 48 27 22 3 :: WV : 15 12 38 30 5 MI : 35 16 25 20 4 :: WI : 3 17 29 44 7 MN : 9 24 40 24 3 :: WY : 2 8 39 42 9 MS : 4 26 37 30 3 :: : MO : 2 11 37 42 8 :: 48 Sts : 9 18 34 34 5 MT : 14 24 45 17 0 :: : NE : 6 12 31 48 3 :: Prev Wk: 10 20 32 34 4 NV : 0 0 20 72 8 :: Prev Yr: 4 14 34 42 6 NH : 0 7 42 43 8 :: : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. 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