We 1 (4-01) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released April 3, 2001, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and 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 88, No. 14 March 25 - 31, 2001 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Widespread precipitation continued to dent long-term drought in the Southeast, particularly in Florida after mid-week. The central part of Florida's peninsula, largely bypassed by significant rainfall on March 19, received 2 to locally more than 8 inches of rain from March 29-31. The rain eased irrigation requirements in Florida, but further slowed fieldwork across the remainder of the South. Prior to the rain's arrival, a strong, late-season push of cold air dropped temperatures to the freezing mark or below as far south as central portions of Alabama and Georgia. However, adverse effects on blooming peach trees and tender ground vegetation were minimal due to short durations of sub-freezing weather. Farther north, another major storm system struck the Northeast on March 29-31, adding to already impressive late-season snow depths across interior areas and causing some additional flooding in southern New England. Meanwhile, very cool weather slowed pasture and winter wheat development from the central and southern Plains to the Ohio Valley. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 14 degrees F below normal on the southern Plains and ranged from 8 to 12 degrees F below normal in the Ohio Valley. Although some lowland flooding developed in the northwestern Corn Belt, persistently cool weather (as much as 12 degrees F below normal) helped to maintain an orderly snow-melt process. In contrast, warm, dry weather (up to 10 degrees F above normal) in California and Arizona promoted fieldwork, including initial cotton planting, and rapid crop development. In the Northwest, widespread, generally light precipitation provided a limited reduction of large long-term moisture deficits. Early in the week, unusually cold weather gripped most areas east of the Rockies. On Sunday in Michigan, highs of 13 degrees F in Marquette and 23 degrees F in Lansing were the lowest on record for March 25. A day later, high temperatures failed to rise above the freezing mark as far south as Amarillo, TX (31 degrees F). More than two dozen daily-record lows were established in the East from March 26-28, including 4 degrees F in Flint, MI on Monday, 27 degrees F in Huntsville, AL on Tuesday, and 30 degrees F in Macon, GA on Wednesday. Flint's reading represented their lowest temperature since January 9, when the low fell to -5 degrees F. In contrast, warm weather across the West produced scattered daily-record highs. On Friday in California, highs rose to 83 degrees F in Sacramento and 82 degrees F in Santa Rosa. During the first 3 months of 2001, the highest temperature in Rochester, MN was 40 degrees F, attained on March 3 and 14. As a result, Rochester will mark their latest first observance of a high above 40 degrees F, previously set on March 25, 1962. Despite the lingering cold weather in the upper Midwest, enough snow melted to push some creeks and rivers above flood stage. In eastern Iowa, the Iowa River at Marengo crested nearly 2.4 feet above flood stage on March 27. Flooding also developed along the James River in eastern South Dakota. Elsewhere in South Dakota, Sioux Falls' snow cover finally disappeared after 141 days (November 7 - March 27), but not before breaking their 1996-97 record of 125 days. Similarly, at least 1 inch of snow remained on the ground for 144 consecutive days (November 8 - March 31) in Aberdeen, SD, edging their 1996-97 record of 139 days. Meanwhile in the Northeast, the month's fourth major winter storm dumped as much as 2 feet of snow in northern New England and more than 4 inches of rain in parts of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. On March 30, daily rainfall records were established in locations such as the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA (2.82 inches), Providence, RI (2.57 inches), and New York's Central Park (2.16 inches). With a monthly total of 13.07 inches, Milton experienced their wettest March on record (previously 10.96 inches in 1968). Providence's monthly total, 8.78 inches, ended just shy of their March 1983 record of 8.84 inches. Elsewhere in the Northeast, March 1993 snowfall records were broken in Burlington, VT (47.6 inches) and Binghamton, NY (46.5 inches). On the last day of the month, 18.8 inches blanketed Caribou, ME, their greatest 1-day snowfall since 19.4 inches fell on December 3, 1989, and second-highest calendar-day total during March, behind only 28.6 inches on March 14, 1984. Farther south, monthly rainfall totals reached 12.13 inches in Montgomery, AL and 11.73 inches in Apalachicola, FL. Daytona Beach, FL netted 9.98 inches during March, accounting for 89 percent of their year-to-date total. Tampa, FL, coming off their driest 2 years on record--their 1999-2000 rainfall totaled 64.17 inches, or 73 percent of normal, shattering the 1978-79 record of 71.32 inches- -netted 3.00 inches on March 29. Tampa's March rainfall totaled 6.73 inches, their highest monthly total since 8.15 inches fell in July 2000. In southern Florida, Lake Okeechobee fell to 10.10 feet on March 27, barely 4 inches above the July 1981 record low, then rebounded slightly to 10.23 feet by month's end. Farther west, locally heavy rainfall peppered the western Gulf Coast region prior to midweek, resulting in a daily-record total (2.22 inches on March 27) in Houston, TX. In contrast, long-term moisture deficits continued to mount in a few areas, including the Ohio Valley and the Northwest. In the latter region, Seattle collected October-March precipitation totaling only 16.27 inches (58 percent of normal), their driest such period since 11.81 inches fell in 1976-77. In western Oregon, Eugene's October-March rainfall of 14.28 inches was only 36 percent of normal. Meanwhile in Indiana, Indianapolis' precipitation during the first 3 months of the year totaled just 3.34 inches, or 39 percent of normal. Most of Alaska experienced a second consecutive cold week, following a record-warm December-February period. Weekly temperatures averaged 5 to 10 degrees F below normal across interior and western parts of the State. Warmer-than-normal weather prevailed, however, in southeastern Alaska, where Juneau posted a daily record-tying high of 51 degrees F on March 25. On the same day, Kodiak's 2.57-inch rainfall broke their single-day record for March (previously 2.38 inches on March 8, 1994). Meanwhile in Hawaii, locally heavy showers overspread the western islands, especially Oahu, toward week's end. At Wilson Tunnel, Oahu, near Maunawili, 12-hour rainfall reached 2.28 inches on March 30-31. Hawaiian temperatures rebounded to warmer-than-normal levels, averaging 1 to 3 degrees F above normal. National Agricultural Summary March 26 - April 1, 2001 Highlights: A large portion of the Nation received precipitation, but amounts were light in the Corn Belt, across most of the Great Plains, and interior areas of the Southeast. In Florida, heavy rainfall significantly reduced moisture shortages in the Peninsula, while lighter amounts boosted moisture reserves in the Panhandle. Storms also increased moisture supplies in the Pacific Northwest. Another area of heavy rainfall halted fieldwork along the western Gulf Coast and interior parts of southeastern Texas after midweek. A line of showers slowly moved up the east side of the Appalachians, soaking interior areas of the mid-Atlantic States and coastal areas of the Northeast. In the Southwest, dry conditions aided fieldwork, and above-normal temperatures accelerated plant development. Cold weather hindered plant development in the Great Plains. Dry weather extended moisture deficits in the northern Great Plains. As of April 1, producers expected 92 percent of their normal nitrogen fertilizer supplies to be available. Winter Wheat: One percent of the Nation's winter wheat was heading, compared with 3 percent last year and the average of 2 percent. Growth and development accelerated in California due to recent warmth. However, heading progress remained far behind last year's rapid progress and well behind the average for this date. Cool, wet weather limited crop development in the Great Plains, although heading was slightly ahead of normal in Texas. Acreage at the jointing stage lagged far behind normal in Oklahoma and Kansas. Most of the crop was still dormant in the northern Great Plains. Some fields emerged from dormancy in the Corn Belt, but growth was slow. April 1 conditions were the lowest since 1989, when just 29 percent was rated good and 3 percent was excellent. Cold, wet weather was responsible for most of the low condition ratings in the central and southern Great Plains, while moisture shortages reduced conditions in the northern Great Plains. Corn: One percent of the corn acreage was planted, slightly behind last year, but equal to the 5-year average. Wet weather limited progress in the southern Great Plains, Mississippi Delta, Tennessee Valley, and Southeast. Heavy rainfall delayed planting in southern Texas and North Carolina. In northern Texas and Tennessee, rainfall was light, but excessive moisture limited progress. A few fields were planted in the Missouri Bootheel and lower Ohio River Valley, but no fields were planted in other areas of the Corn Belt. Cotton: Planting advanced to 5 percent complete, slightly ahead of last year and the 5-year average. Warm, dry weather aided progress in the Southwest, where 15 percent was planted in California and Arizona. California's progress was nearly double the average, but Arizona was slightly behind normal. Both States were ahead of last year's slow pace. In Texas, planting slowly advanced due to wet weather, but progress remained slightly ahead of last year and the average. In the Southeast, soils were too wet and cold to begin planting. Small grains: One percent of the oat acreage was seeded, well behind last year's early pace and 4 percentage points behind the 5-year average. Progress was far behind last year's rapid pace and well behind the 5-year average in Nebraska and Iowa. The barley acreage was 3 percent seeded, 2 percentage points behind last year's pace, and 1 percentage point behind the 5-year average. Progress was most advanced in Idaho and Washington. Spring wheat planting was 1 percent complete, behind last year's 5-percent pace, and 2 percentage points behind the average for this date. Nineteen percent was seeded in Washington, slightly behind the 20-percent average. Other crops: Eight percent of the rice crop was planted, slightly behind last year's 10-percent pace, but equal to the average for this date. In Texas, planting rapidly accelerated early in the week, but late-week rains halted progress and planting remained slightly behind the 5-year average. In Louisiana, planting moved slightly ahead of the 5-year average before rain stopped progress. Ten percent of the sorghum acreage was planted, slightly behind last year's 13-percent pace and 1 percentage point behind the average for this date. Planting was slow in Texas, as wet conditions stalled progress in some areas. Early-planted fields emerged and stands were good. The planting season began in Arkansas, with progress equal to the 5-year average. One percent of the sugarbeet acreage was planted in the four major sugarbeet producing States, compared with 4 percent last year and the average of 3 percent. Planting lagged behind normal in Idaho, despite above-normal temperatures and favorably dry conditions. Cool weather delayed the beginning of the planting season in Michigan. Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 0 NA 5 3 CA : 10 NA 31 18 CO : 0 NA 0 0 ID : 0 NA 0 0 IL : 0 NA 0 0 IN : 0 NA 0 0 KS : 0 NA 0 0 MI : 0 NA 0 0 MO : 0 NA 0 0 MT : 0 NA 0 0 NE : 0 NA 0 0 NC : 0 NA 15 6 OH : 0 NA 0 0 OK : 0 NA 7 2 OR : 0 NA 0 0 SD : 0 NA 0 0 TX : 8 NA 10 6 WA : 0 NA 0 0 : 18 Sts: 1 NA 3 2 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 90% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Corn: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 0 NA 0 0 IL : 0 NA 0 0 IN : 0 NA 0 0 IA : 0 NA 0 0 KS : 0 NA 0 0 KY : 1 NA 1 0 MI : 0 NA 0 0 MN : 0 NA 0 0 MO : 1 NA 3 3 NE : 0 NA 0 0 NC : 0 NA 5 7 ND : 0 NA 0 0 OH : 0 NA 0 0 PA : 0 NA 0 0 SD : 0 NA 0 0 TN : 4 NA 12 5 TX : 30 NA 53 43 WI : 0 NA 0 0 : 18 Sts: 1 NA 2 1 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 92% of last year's corn acreage. Cotton: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 0 NA 0 0 AZ : 15 NA 1 16 AR : 0 NA 0 0 CA : 15 NA 9 8 GA : 0 NA 0 0 LA : 0 NA 0 0 MS : 0 NA 0 0 MO : 0 NA 0 0 NC : 0 NA 0 0 OK : 0 NA 0 0 SC : 0 NA 0 0 TN : 0 NA 0 0 TX : 10 NA 9 8 VA : 0 NA 0 0 : 14 Sts: 5 NA 4 4 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 14 States planted 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 8 NA 19 17 MN : 0 NA 3 1 MT : 1 NA 3 1 ND : 0 NA 1 0 SD : 1 NA 17 6 WA : 19 NA 23 20 : 6 Sts : 1 NA 5 3 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 98% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Sorghum: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 2 NA 3 2 CO : 0 NA 0 0 IL : 0 NA 0 0 KS : 0 NA 0 0 LA : 0 NA 0 0 MO : 0 NA 0 0 NE : 0 NA 0 0 NM : 0 NA 0 0 OK : 0 NA 0 0 SD : 0 NA 0 0 TX : 30 NA 37 33 : 11 Sts: 10 NA 13 11 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Barley: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 11 NA 12 12 MN : 0 NA 3 1 MT : 1 NA 2 2 ND : 0 NA 1 0 WA : 13 NA 15 16 : 5 Sts : 3 NA 5 4 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 80% of last year's barley acreage. Rice: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 NA 1 1 CA : 0 NA 0 0 LA : 31 NA 40 29 MS : 1 NA 1 3 TX : 24 NA 43 26 : 5 Sts : 8 NA 10 8 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 94% of last year's rice acreage. Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 0 NA 13 17 MN : 0 NA 6 1 NE : 5 NA 61 28 ND : 0 NA 0 0 OH : 8 NA 21 11 PA : 1 NA 7 5 SD : 0 NA 13 4 WI : 0 NA 6 3 : 8 Sts : 1 NA 10 5 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 8 States planted 37% of last year's oat acreage. Sugarbeets: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1996- State:Apr 1, :Mar 25,:Apr 1, : 2000 : 2001 : 2001 : 2000 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 6 NA 9 16 MI : 0 NA 17 3 MN : 0 NA 0 0 ND : 0 NA 0 0 : 4 Sts : 1 NA 4 3 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States planted 73% of last year's sugarbeet acreage. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 10 38 45 6 CA : 0 0 20 60 20 CO : 4 15 28 47 6 ID : 0 0 9 77 14 IL : 1 5 29 56 9 IN : 0 3 21 64 12 KS : 9 17 41 30 3 MI : 0 2 15 50 33 MO : 1 13 28 52 6 MT : 6 12 64 16 2 NE : 2 6 39 46 7 NC : 0 5 29 59 7 OH : 1 5 30 55 9 OK : 12 27 37 22 2 OR : 0 10 22 64 4 SD : 1 14 33 49 3 TX : 6 14 41 35 4 WA : 0 2 27 68 3 : 18 Sts : 6 14 36 39 5 : Prev Wk : NA NA NA NA NA Prev Yr : 5 9 26 48 12 -------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2000 planted acres. Nitrogen Fertilizer Available: Percent of Normal Supply ------------------------------------------------------- : :: : : % of :: : % of State : Normal :: State : Normal : :: : ------------------------------------------------------- AL : 93 :: NV : 100 AZ : 95 :: NH : 100 AR : 97 :: NJ : 70 CA : 100 :: NM : 95 CO : 89 :: NY : 100 CT : 100 :: NC : 95 DE : 100 :: ND : 86 FL : 94 :: OH : 88 GA : 93 :: OK : 93 ID : 95 :: OR : 98 IL : 94 :: PA : 75 IN : 91 :: RI : 100 IA : 81 :: SC : 100 KS : 96 :: SD : 85 KY : 97 :: TN : 96 LA : 95 :: TX : 91 ME : 100 :: UT : 95 MD : 92 :: VT : 100 MA : 100 :: VA : 100 MI : 95 :: WA : 100 MN : 95 :: WV : 100 MS : 95 :: WI : 85 MO : 81 :: WY : 85 MT : 85 :: : NE : 87 :: US : 92 ------------------------------------------------------- The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12:00 p.m. ET on April 10, 2001. 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 There are two options for subscribing via e-mail. All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. 1) Starting with the NASS Home Page at http://www.usda.gov/nass/, click on Publications, then click on the Subscribe by E-mail button which takes you to the page describing e-mail delivery of reports. Finally, click on Go to the Subscription Page and follow the instructions. 2) If you do NOT have Internet access, 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.