Release November 24, 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. 47 November 15 - 21, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Heavy precipitation and high winds across the Northwest, and snowy, cold weather on the northern Plains, were exceptions to an otherwise mild, mostly dry pattern across much of the Nation. Scattered showers in the Southeast provided beneficial moisture for recently planted winter wheat, while mild, dry weather in the Corn Belt, Southwest, and central and southern Plains favored late summer crop harvesting and winter wheat growth. Weekly temperatures ranged from 3 to 9 degrees F above normal in a broad arc from the Northwestern and Rocky Mountain States into the Southeast, including the central and southern Plains. Departures topped +10 degrees F at a few locations in southern Alabama and western Florida. Near-normal readings prevailed in California and from the Great Lakes States into the Northeast. Temperatures averaged as much as 7 degrees F below normal, however, in the snow-covered Red River Valley. Early in the week, warmer-than-normal weather prevailed nearly nationwide. On Sunday in Colorado, daily records were tied or broken in Yuma (78 degrees F) and Pueblo (80 degrees F). A day later, Melbourne, FL recorded 85 degrees F. Slightly cooler air overspread the Western and Central States after midweek, but warmth continued in the Southeast. Melbourne also netted a daily-record high (87 degrees F) on Friday. Although scattered showers dampened the Southeast early in the week and again toward week's end, portions of the Mid-Atlantic region remained extremely dry. July 1 - November 21 rainfall totaled 5.29 inches (33 percent of normal) in Washington, DC and 5.14 inches (32 percent) in Baltimore, MD. In both cities, July- November amounts in 1930 (4.75 inches in Washington and 3.29 inches in Baltimore) were the lowest on record. Meanwhile, flooding gradually subsided across eastern Texas. On Tuesday, the San Bernard River near Boling crested at greater than19 feet above flood stage, but remained more than 5 feet below the October 21 record. Farther north, snow overspread the northern Plains and western Great Lakes region at midweek. Storm-total snowfall reached 17.0 inches in Thief River Falls, MN and 12.9 inches in Grand Forks, ND. By Friday morning, post-storm lows in the Red River Valley dipped to -5 degrees F in Fargo, ND and -8 degrees F in Grand Forks. Storminess intensified across the Pacific Northwest after midweek. In Oregon, 120-hour (November 17-22) rainfall included 9.19 inches in Brookings and 4.95 inches in Roseburg. In the Oregon Cascades at Crater Lake, 27 inches of snow fell in 24 hours on November 21-22, raising the snow depth to 49 inches. Farther south, 5.21 inches deluged Eureka, CA on November 20-21, breaking their 24-hour November record set in 1926. Crescent City, CA received 5.68 inches during the same period. Generally minor flooding was reported in western Oregon and northwestern California. On Saturday, the Smith River near Hiouchi Valley, CA crested about 2.3 feet above flood stage. We 1 (11-98) National Agricultural Summary November 16 - 21, 1998 Highlights: Temperatures averaged above normal across most of the Nation, aiding development of winter wheat in the central Plains and parts of the Corn Belt and Southeast. Dry conditions also prevailed over much of the Nation, aiding harvest efforts and fall tillage operations. However, fields remained too muddy to resume harvest activities in parts of the northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley following earlier storms. Cold air moved southward from Canada but did little damage to winter wheat. In the Pacific Northwest, rain aided wheat development, but halted field activities along the Pacific coastline from northern California to Canada. Some of the rains were very heavy, resulting in isolated flooding and soil erosion. Winter Wheat: Planting progressed to 97 percent complete, equal to the average for this date. Emergence advanced to 92 percent of the acreage, also equal to the 5-year average. Farmers in the northern Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, and eastern Corn Belt had completed planting operations. A small percentage remained to be planted in the central and southern Great Plains, southern Corn Belt, and Mississippi Delta. Dry weather aided planting efforts in the Southeast and Southwest, especially, in California, where progress jumped ahead of normal. Substantial acreage remained to be seeded in Georgia, where dry soils hindered planting operations until last week. Seasonable temperatures aided emergence and growth in the southern Corn Belt, Mississippi Delta, and Southeast, and parts of the Pacific Northwest. Cold Canadian air pushed into the northern Great Plains, but most fields had at least a few inches of snow to protect the wheat from the low temperatures. Corn: The Nation's corn harvest advanced to 97 percent complete, as progress remained ahead of the normal pace. In Colorado, warm, dry weather aided harvest efforts, as most of the remaining acreage was combined. Across most of the Corn Belt, the harvest was proceeding ahead of normal, with only a small percentage of the acreage remaining to be harvested. Michigan farmers were finishing the harvest season well ahead of normal due to early ripening of the crop and favorable harvest weather. However, inclement weather continued to delay harvest in South Dakota, where progress remained well behind the 5-year average. Cotton: The Nation's cotton harvest progressed to 86 percent complete, up from 80 percent the previous week and ahead of the 82 percent normally harvested by this date. Dry weather continued to aid the harvest effort in California, but progress remained far behind the normal pace. Favorable weather also aided harvest efforts in Arizona and New Mexico, but progress still lagged several days behind normal. In the southern Great Plains and Southeast, the harvest pace was slower, but dry weather favored harvest efforts of the few growers who still had unharvested cotton to pick. Other crops: Sorghum harvested advanced to 94 percent complete, slightly behind the 95 percent average. Dry weather aided harvest efforts in the central and southern Great Plains. Colorado growers moved slightly ahead of normal, but progress remained slightly behind average in Texas and New Mexico. Muddy field conditions virtually halted progress in South Dakota. Ninety-five percent of the peanuts were harvested, 1 week ahead of the normal 92 percent pace. Growers in the Southeast were nearly finished with harvest activities, slightly behind normal except in Florida, where less than half of the peanut crop would normally be harvested by this date. Progress was less advanced in the southern Great Plains. In Oklahoma, where growers would normally be wrapping up harvest activities by now, progress was several days behind the average for this date. Corn: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 22,:Nov 15,:Nov 22,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 96 83 97 95 GA : 100 100 100 100 IL : 98 95 98 97 IN : 99 98 91 92 IA : 98 95 99 98 KS : 98 98 98 98 KY : 99 99 99 97 MI : 98 94 67 82 MN : 98 97 98 97 MO : 96 91 96 94 NE : 95 89 95 95 NC : 100 100 100 100 OH : 96 92 81 86 PA : 89 85 73 79 SD : 86 82 99 95 TX : 100 100 100 100 WI : 96 91 83 89 : 17 Sts: 97 94 94 95 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 17 States harvested 92% of last year's corn acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 22,:Nov 15,:Nov 22,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 83 72 73 73 CA : 20 15 19 22 CO : 99 97 100 100 GA : 18 11 16 23 ID : 96 92 92 92 IL : 98 95 99 94 IN : 96 92 96 97 KS : 97 95 96 97 MI : 100 97 99 98 MO : 86 70 91 85 MT : 95 93 93 91 NE : 100 100 100 100 NC : 65 50 62 56 OH : 100 100 96 97 OK : 89 85 91 93 OR : 95 89 84 90 SD : 100 100 100 99 TX : 85 79 88 87 WA : 100 99 99 94 : 19 Sts: 92 88 92 92 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States planted 91% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 22,:Nov 15,:Nov 22,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 96 90 86 86 CA : 60 40 57 48 CO : 100 100 100 100 GA : 36 22 27 39 ID : 100 99 100 99 IL : 100 98 100 99 IN : 100 99 100 100 KS : 98 98 99 99 MI : 100 100 100 100 MO : 92 86 97 95 MT : 100 100 100 100 NE : 100 100 100 100 NC : 75 70 79 73 OH : 100 100 100 100 OK : 99 96 99 100 OR : 100 97 100 96 SD : 100 100 100 100 TX : 95 92 97 95 WA : 100 100 100 99 : 19 Sts: 97 95 97 97 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 19 States planted 91% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Peanuts: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 22,:Nov 15,:Nov 22,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 98 95 100 100 FL : 100 99 100 40 GA : 99 98 100 100 NC : 98 95 96 99 OK : 89 87 98 99 SC : 100 98 98 98 TX : 82 77 87 81 VA : 100 100 99 100 : 8 Sts : 95 92 97 92 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 8 States harvested 99% of last year's peanut acreage. Cotton: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 22,:Nov 15,:Nov 22,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 97 93 84 89 AZ : 81 71 87 87 AR : 100 97 94 96 CA : 60 45 97 93 GA : 82 76 65 79 LA : 100 99 100 99 MS : 100 100 97 97 MO : 96 93 93 94 NM : 61 43 79 75 NC : 95 90 74 82 OK : 84 80 70 62 SC : 91 89 76 82 TN : 99 98 90 93 TX : 83 75 78 72 : 14 Sts: 86 80 83 82 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 14 States harvested 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Sorghum: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1993- State:Nov 22,:Nov 15,:Nov 22,: 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 100 100 100 100 CO : 80 66 34 76 IL : 98 98 97 95 KS : 96 95 91 96 LA : 100 100 100 100 MS : 100 100 100 100 MO : 95 92 95 94 NE : 98 94 97 97 NM : 72 60 96 75 OK : 91 88 79 81 SD : 89 89 98 98 TX : 92 88 95 97 : 12 Sts: 94 91 92 95 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 12 States harvested 99% of last year's sorghum acreage. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 0 1 31 52 16 CA : 0 0 10 40 50 CO : 0 1 11 54 34 GA : 0 21 42 36 1 ID : 0 1 8 74 17 IL : 0 4 24 59 13 IN : 1 2 20 59 18 KS : 1 5 21 62 11 MI : 1 4 33 52 10 MO : 0 4 34 59 3 MT : 1 5 33 60 1 NE : 0 1 23 67 9 NC : 0 7 27 56 10 OH : 0 3 21 56 20 OK : 0 2 15 74 9 OR : 0 3 23 74 0 SD : 0 0 13 67 20 TX : 1 14 46 33 6 WA : 0 14 47 39 0 : 19 Sts : 0 5 25 59 11 : Prev Wk : 1 6 26 54 13 Prev Yr : 0 4 23 62 11 -------------------------------------- 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 at 12 p.m. ET on December 1, 1998. 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