Release November 3, 1998 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agricultural. 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. 44 October 25 - 31, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Heavy rain (4 to 6 inches, with locally higher totals) soaked areas from northern Texas to east-central Kansas, eliminating topsoil dryness and providing moisture for winter wheat establishment. Lowland flooding ensued, however, resulting in standing water and wash-outs in wheat fields near streams and rivers. The rain also halted the High Plains cotton harvest and threatened the quality of the unharvested crop. Significant rains (mostly greater than 1 inch) also fell across the Great Basin, Four Corners region, western Corn Belt, northern New England, and elsewhere in the central and southern Plains, slowing fieldwork. In contrast, mostly dry weather prevailed in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern States, spurring summer-crop harvesting and winter wheat planting. Mostly dry weather also favored fieldwork in California. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 3 degrees F below normal in California's Central Valley, but ranged from 3 to 11 degrees F above normal throughout the Plains and Midwest. Readings averaged up to 7 degrees F above normal in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern States. During the early- to midweek period, a low-pressure system traversed areas from the Southwest to the upper Midwest, producing widespread rain. On Sunday, Flagstaff, AZ netted a daily-record rainfall of 1.48 inches. Two days later, daily records were established in Albuquerque, NM (0.62 inches) and Peoria, IL (1.47 inches). In the central Rockies, the storm deposited 6 inches of snow in Leadville, CO. Across the northern Plains, the storm capped a record-wet October in several locations, including Glasgow, MT (3.05 inches), Rapid City, SD (5.60 inches), and Aberdeen, SD (7.29 inches). Very warm weather prevailed in many areas east of the storm's center. On October 25, Providence, RI (75 degrees F) notched a daily-record high. Records on Tuesday included 87 degrees F in Pinson, AL and 73 degrees F in Alpena, MI. Late in the week, the storm's energy translated to a low-pressure system east of Maine, raking northern New England with rain and high winds. On Friday, wind gusts in Maine reached 52 mph in Greenville and 56 mph on Monhegan Island. A second, stronger storm emerged from the Southwest toward week's end, sparking additional heavy rain. October 31 rainfall totaled 5.79 inches in Wichita, KS, propelling the city to its wettest October (9.42 inches) on record. Storm-total rainfall (through 7:00 a.m. CST on Sunday) in Oklahoma included 8.29 inches in Cherokee and 6.89 inches in Woodward. In Texas, the storm boosted Amarillo's monthly rainfall to 6.48 inches (their highest October total since 1941), more than half of which fell on October 30-31. Farther north, much cooler air overspread the Northwest. On Friday, lows dipped to 20 degrees F in Spokane, WA and 7 degrees F in Burns, OR. In contrast, very warm conditions continued across the Southeast. On Friday, daily-record highs included 85 degrees F in Huntsville, AL and 86 degrees F in Florence, SC. A day later, Tallahassee, FL recorded 88 degrees F. In Alaska, weekly temperatures ranged from 7 to 13 degrees F above normal in northern and western areas. Nevertheless, Barrow noted their first sub-zero reading of the season (-1 degree F on October 27) and first below-normal minimum temperature since August 17. In the south, Kodiak wrapped up another wet month (13.96 inches, or 194 percent of normal), raising their year-to-date rainfall to 93.12 inches (170 percent). Meanwhile, Honolulu, HI concluded another dry month (0.13 inches, or 6 percent of normal), leaving their year- to-date total at 2.52 inches (17 percent). We 1 (11-98) National Agricultural Summary October 26 - November 1, 1998 Highlights: Most of the Nation experienced another week of dry weather, which allowed farmers to make steady harvest progress. Planting of winter wheat and other fall-seeded grains also made good progress. Widespread late-week rains, extending from northern Texas through Oklahoma and Kansas to western Missouri, halted fieldwork, but provided beneficial moisture for recently seeded crops. Some areas of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas experienced flooding and erosion due to heavy downpours. Above-normal temperatures that prevailed east of the Rocky Mountains, promoted quick drying of late developing crops and aided growth of fall-seeded crops. Corn: The Nation's corn harvest advanced 11 percentage points, to 83 percent complete, and remained more than 1 week ahead of the 68 percent normal pace. Progress exceeded the normal pace in all of the major corn-producing states and was more than 2 weeks early across most of the northern Corn Belt. The harvest pace remained brisk in most of the Corn Belt, excluding an area along the Ohio River Valley, where most of the harvest was complete. The pace was slower in the central Great Plains also, as many farmers began to wrap up the harvest season. In the southern Great Plains and Southeast, the harvest was virtually complete. Soybeans: The harvest pace slowed, progressing just 7 percentage points, to 89 percent complete. Many farmers in the Corn Belt were finished harvesting soybeans and others were nearly finished. In the extreme southern Corn Belt, along the Ohio River Valley and into the lower Mississippi Valley, the pace remained brisk. In the Southeast, the harvest was still in the early stages, but quickly gained momentum, especially along the southern Atlantic coastal Plains. Cotton: The Nation's cotton harvest steadily progressed, to 68 percent complete, up from 61 percent the previous week. Normally, 60 percent of the crop would be harvested by this date. In Oklahoma, cotton growers remained far ahead of the average for this date, despite late-week rains that limited progress. The harvest was also well ahead of normal across most of the Southeast and lower Mississippi Valley. Harvest progress accelerated in the Southwest, but remained behind normal, especially in California, where the crop continued to mature slowly due to cool weather. Winter Wheat: Planting progressed to 90 percent complete, slightly behind the 91 percent average for this date. Most of the planting was complete in the central and northern Great Plains, the northern Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and eastern Corn Belt. Progress lagged behind normal in parts of the southern Great Plains and lower Missouri Valley, where frequent rains hindered planting efforts. Farmers made steady progress in the northern Mississippi Delta and the pace accelerated in California, where dry weather aided seeding efforts. Dry soils hindered progress in the Southeast. Wheat had emerged on 75 percent of the acreage, 4 percentage points behind the 5- year average. Crop development exceeded the normal progress across most of the northern Great Plains and into the Pacific Northwest due to early planting progress. Emergence was well ahead of normal in Washington, but stands were spotty due to dry soils. Warm weather aided development in the eastern Corn Belt, especially in Ohio, where emergence was more than a week ahead of the 5- year average. Other crops: The sorghum harvest advanced to 83 percent complete, nearly a week ahead of the normal 77 percent pace. Illinois growers made rapid progress, while farmers in the southern and central Great Plains also managed to make good progress despite rain, which limited activity in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Peanuts harvested advanced to 82 percent, up 10 percentage points from the previous week and 3 percentage points ahead of the 5-year average. Florida peanut growers were finishing the harvest season well ahead of the 38 percent normal for this date. The pace accelerated in most peanut-producing regions, especially along the Atlantic Coastal Plains, however, growers in Alabama and Georgia remained behind average. Corn: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 1, :Oct 25,:Nov 1, : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 73 64 75 68 GA : 100 99 98 98 IL : 82 73 88 79 IN : 82 68 58 61 IA : 86 70 83 69 KS : 96 92 93 90 KY : 96 95 84 87 MI : 71 59 18 36 MN : 90 81 88 67 MO : 85 80 86 77 NE : 83 75 66 66 NC : 100 100 94 95 OH : 71 52 39 51 PA : 60 53 44 47 SD : 66 55 77 57 TX : 100 98 99 99 WI : 73 58 39 46 : 17 Sts: 83 72 74 68 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 17 States harvested 92% of last year's corn acreage. Soybeans: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 1, :Oct 25,:Nov 1, : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 68 49 56 49 AR : 78 62 63 59 GA : 34 22 24 24 IL : 92 85 98 94 IN : 94 89 96 91 IA : 97 93 99 97 KS : 86 67 85 84 KY : 85 77 59 57 LA : 97 93 96 86 MI : 93 76 86 85 MN : 97 95 99 96 MS : 95 91 84 75 MO : 81 68 81 75 NE : 92 87 92 96 NC : 25 20 16 17 OH : 97 92 94 90 SC : 22 11 11 13 SD : 92 86 97 93 TN : 78 55 49 45 : 19 Sts: 89 82 88 85 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States harvested 93% of last year's soybean acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 1, :Oct 25,:Nov 1, : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 63 42 57 55 CA : 25 2 7 13 CO : 100 100 100 100 GA : 10 10 9 12 ID : 96 94 96 95 IL : 94 84 96 90 IN : 92 82 95 91 KS : 96 94 96 98 MI : 97 88 99 97 MO : 64 46 84 78 MT : 99 98 99 96 NE : 100 99 100 100 NC : 45 30 34 39 OH : 99 96 97 96 OK : 89 77 92 95 OR : 87 83 92 87 SD : 100 100 100 100 TX : 81 76 85 86 WA : 100 98 99 97 : 19 Sts: 90 84 91 91 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States planted 91% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Cotton: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 1, :Oct 25,:Nov 1, : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 79 69 54 65 AZ : 53 44 63 64 AR : 91 79 72 77 CA : 15 6 73 62 GA : 58 46 46 58 LA : 97 92 98 92 MS : 98 94 84 84 MO : 70 57 71 78 NM : 23 18 29 37 NC : 75 70 33 54 OK : 74 58 29 33 SC : 77 65 39 54 TN : 92 84 71 75 TX : 66 60 44 47 : 14 Sts: 68 61 56 60 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 14 States harvested 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 1, :Oct 25,:Nov 1, : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 35 17 39 36 CA : 5 0 2 4 CO : 90 87 96 95 GA : 6 6 5 7 ID : 73 64 75 70 IL : 71 52 83 71 IN : 71 54 76 72 KS : 84 79 88 90 MI : 83 78 92 82 MO : 42 28 63 55 MT : 82 80 81 77 NE : 99 96 100 100 NC : 20 10 13 20 OH : 90 76 68 74 OK : 69 53 74 77 OR : 69 63 69 61 SD : 98 95 99 96 TX : 64 57 69 73 WA : 98 90 96 85 : 19 Sts: 75 67 79 79 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States planted 91% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Sorghum: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 1, :Oct 25,:Nov 1, : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 100 100 99 98 CO : 51 42 10 46 IL : 86 56 88 70 KS : 90 79 75 77 LA : 100 100 100 100 MS : 100 100 100 100 MO : 85 76 81 78 NE : 86 76 80 75 NM : 34 14 45 34 OK : 66 55 45 41 SD : 82 74 79 75 TX : 81 77 81 87 : 12 Sts: 83 75 75 77 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 12 States harvested 99% of last year's sorghum acreage. Peanuts: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 1, :Oct 25,:Nov 1, : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 85 78 96 93 FL : 94 89 99 38 GA : 90 79 97 95 NC : 85 65 73 79 OK : 70 59 77 68 SC : 87 73 88 84 TX : 62 52 60 51 VA : 98 90 97 97 : 8 Sts : 82 72 85 79 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 8 States harvested 99% of last year's peanut acreage. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 2 1 30 59 8 CA : 0 0 0 50 50 CO : 2 3 12 47 36 GA : 0 7 53 37 3 ID : 0 0 8 72 20 IL : 0 3 19 69 9 IN : 1 2 33 53 11 KS : 1 3 23 66 7 MI : 0 7 24 59 10 MO : 0 3 39 55 3 MT : 1 9 50 39 1 NE : 0 2 24 67 7 NC : 0 10 25 50 15 OH : 0 1 19 59 21 OK : 0 6 20 69 5 OR : 0 3 23 74 0 SD : 0 1 12 68 19 TX : 8 23 40 28 1 WA : 7 26 32 20 15 : 19 Sts : 2 8 25 55 10 : Prev Wk : 2 8 27 53 10 Prev Yr : 0 3 22 64 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 : 16 32 41 10 1 :: NJ : 0 0 80 20 0 AZ : 0 6 21 58 15 :: NM : 7 28 33 29 3 AR : 6 24 40 28 2 :: NY : 0 2 26 65 7 CA : 0 10 40 50 0 :: NC : 18 34 29 18 1 CO : 2 8 38 48 4 :: ND : 5 14 39 38 4 CT : 0 0 0 100 0 :: OH : 3 11 38 42 6 DE : 0 6 47 47 0 :: OK : 6 18 36 39 1 FL : 0 10 55 25 10 :: OR : 1 9 38 50 2 GA : 15 24 44 16 1 :: PA : 16 20 39 24 1 ID : 0 10 35 41 14 :: RI : 0 0 6 47 47 IL : 2 5 33 54 6 :: SC : 6 22 46 26 0 IN : 5 18 40 33 4 :: SD : 1 3 18 56 22 IA : 4 11 33 40 12 :: TN : 15 30 37 18 0 KS : 0 7 33 55 5 :: TX : 12 21 35 27 5 KY : 11 25 39 24 1 :: UT : 0 11 22 54 13 LA : 6 17 46 29 2 :: VT : 0 0 0 100 0 ME : 48 12 20 20 0 :: VA : 37 42 18 3 0 MD : 12 35 24 29 0 :: WA : 0 30 59 11 0 MA : 0 51 15 34 0 :: WV : 17 26 37 20 0 MI : 6 19 37 31 7 :: WI : 2 14 32 47 5 MN : 6 15 28 46 5 :: WY : 1 6 18 61 14 MS : 18 33 32 16 1 :: : MO : 0 5 22 60 13 :: 48 Sts : 6 16 34 38 6 MT : 4 26 51 18 1 :: : NE : 2 10 29 55 4 :: Prev Wk: 6 17 34 37 6 NV : 0 0 6 76 18 :: Prev Yr: 4 15 36 40 5 NH : 0 10 35 55 0 :: : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 1997 planted acres. The next "Weekly Weather & Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on November 10, 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!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then Reports by Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Send an e-mail message to: usda-reports@usda.mannlib.cornell.edu. In the body of the message type the word: list. AUTOFAX ACCESS NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine. Please call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax. Respond to the voice prompts. Document 0411 is a list of available reports. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-834-0125 FAX: 703-834-0110 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov.