We 1 (4-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released April 24, 2007, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Theresa Holland at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary April 15 - 21, 2007 Highlights: The effects of a powerful coastal storm persisted early in the week across the Northeast, where high winds, heavy rain, and high-elevation snow caused flooding, travel disruptions, and electrical outages. In the storm's wake, cool weather lingered across the South and East for several days, followed by a late-week warming trend. Mostly dry weather across the South promoted fieldwork, including replanting of crops damaged by early-April freezes, but increased drought concerns. Dry weather was much more favorable in the Midwest, where corn planting finally began to advance northward and eastward from Missouri. Despite weekly temperatures as much as 10 degrees F above normal in the upper Midwest, cool, wet soils continued to slow Midwestern planting. In addition, the late-week return of rain to the western Corn Belt halted fieldwork anew. Farther west, mid- to late-week precipitation maintained generally favorable moisture for the Plains' winter wheat and emerging summer crops. However, snow primarily in Montana and rain also slowed spring fieldwork in the Nation's mid-section. Elsewhere, Western precipitation was heaviest in the northern Rockies, western Oregon, and northern California. Cool weather accompanied the Western showers, holding weekly temperatures at least 5 degrees F below normal in many locations. Drought persisted in the Southwest, although a late-week storm brought the heaviest rain since spring 2006 to southern California locations such as Los Angeles and Long Beach. Early in the week, torrential rainfall drenched the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern States. New York's Central Park (7.57 inches on April 15) experienced its second-wettest day behind 8.28 inches on September 23, 1882. The 15th was the wettest April day on record in locations such as Trenton, NJ (4.56 inches; previously, 4.10 inches on April 16, 1986), Philadelphia, PA (4.19 inches; previously, 3.29 inches on April 30, 1947), and New Bern, NC (3.52 inches; previously, 2.57 inches on April 12, 1959). The Passaic River at Little Falls, NJ, climbed 4.88 feet above flood stage (afs) on the night of April 17-18, representing the third-highest crest at that location behind 10.50 feet afs on October 10, 1903, and 5.91 feet afs on April 7, 1984. Similarly, the Merrimack River near Lowell, MA, crested 6.08 feet afs on April 17. Higher crests near Lowell were observed on March 20, 1936 (16.40 feet afs), April 23, 1852 (8.60 feet afs), September 23, 1938 (8.57 feet afs), and May 15, 2006 (6.84 feet afs). Other storm-related woes included heavy snow and high winds. From April 15-17, Binghamton, NY, received 13.9 inches of snow, including 11.7 inches on the 16th. Binghamton's former daily snowfall record in April was 11.5 inches on April 9, 1960. Elsewhere on April 16, wind gusts were clocked to 72 m.p.h. at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA; 62 m.p.h. in Greensboro, NC; 61 m.p.h. in Providence, RI; and 60 m.p.h. at both Wilmington, DE, and Morrisville, VT. At the height of the storm on April 16, the central barometric pressure fell to about 28.53 inches of mercury (966 millibars) near the northern Mid-Atlantic coast. Farther inland, the pressure fell to 28.84 inches (about 977 millibars) in Albany, NY, breaking its April record low of 28.87 inches set in 1975. In the storm's wake, chilly weather settled across the South. Daily-record lows for April 16 included 32 degrees F in Meridian, MS, and 37 degrees F in Mobile, AL. Meridian's reading was just 5 days shy of its latest freeze on record (32 degrees F on April 21, 1953). Farther north, Rochester, MN (33.0 degrees F, or 8.4 degrees F below normal), reported its third-coldest April 1-15 period behind 31.4 degrees F in 1962 and 32.8 degrees F in 1975. Meanwhile, a disturbance crossed the south-central U.S., followed by a series of stronger storms in the West. Rainfall associated with the first system resulted in daily-record totals for April 16 in Colorado locations such as Pueblo (1.07 inches) and Colorado Springs (0.72 inch). Two days later, Choteau, MT, set daily records for both precipitation (1.25 inches) and snowfall (4.0 inches). Other Western snowfall records for April 18 included 4.3 inches in Winnemucca, NV, and 2.5 inches in Great Falls, MT. April 17-19 snowfall totaled 17.0 inches in Alta, UT. Western storminess was also responsible for high winds and low temperatures. On April 18, a gust to 63 m.p.h. was clocked in Grand Junction, CO. A day later, Western daily-record lows included 8 degrees F in Ely, NV; 16 degrees F in Cedar City, UT; and 29 degrees F in Lancaster, CA. For parts of southern California, the heaviest rain of the season arrived on April 20. Downtown Los Angeles netted 0.50 inch on the 20th, representing its wettest day since May 22, 2006, when 0.67 inch fell. Despite the recent rain, Los Angeles remained on a pace for its driest water year on record. Los Angeles' July 1 - April 21 rainfall of 3.17 inches (22 percent of normal) was significantly below its July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2002, record low of 4.42 inches. Meanwhile, heavy rain also returned to the Plains and upper Midwest. On April 21, the 2.32-inch rainfall in Watertown, SD, represented its first 2-inch total on an April day since April 19, 1957. In contrast, year-to-date precipitation deficits climbed well above 1 foot in several Southeastern locations, including Meridian, MS (14.80 inches), and Tuscaloosa, AL (13.66 inches). January 1 - April 21 rainfall totaled just 7.45 inches (33 percent of normal) in Meridian and 7.16 inches (34 percent) in Tuscaloosa. Several wildfires flared across southern Georgia, including the Sweat Farm Road incident near Waycross. That fire, which began on April 16 when a tree fell across a power line, charred more than 55,000 acres of vegetation on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and reduced late-week visibilities to 2 miles or lower in smoke as far away as Tallahassee, FL. Farther west, severe thunderstorms erupted at week's end across the High Plains and the upper Midwest. In western Texas alone, preliminary reports indicated that more than a dozen tornadoes struck in a little over 2 hours on the evening of April 21. Warm weather prevailed in Hawaii, accompanied by locally heavy showers in favored windward locations. On the Big Island, Hilo netted a weekly total of 4.41 inches, boosting its month-to-date rainfall to 4.96 inches (54 percent of normal). Elsewhere on the Big Island, Glenwood received 3.45 inches of rain in a 24-hour period on April 18-19. Trade winds were clocked to 40 m.p.h. on April 19 in Kahului, Maui, and at the Molokai Airport. Farther north, Alaska's mild, mostly dry regime continued through a third consecutive week. Temperatures returned to near-normal levels in western Alaska, but averaged at least 10 degrees F above normal in parts of interior and northern Alaska. On April 21, Alaskan daily-record highs reached 57 degrees F at both Valdez and McGrath. One exception to Alaska's generally dry pattern was Kodiak, where April 1-21 precipitation totaled 9.78 inches (261 percent of normal). National Agricultural Summary April 16 - 22, 2007 Below-normal temperatures prevailed in much of the West. Temperatures averaging 3 to 6 degrees F below normal extended from Oregon, down the Pacific Coast to Arizona and into the Intermountain region. In addition, colder than usual temperatures stretched along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts into the Southeast and Tennessee Valley. Heavy precipitation fell throughout the central and northern Atlantic Coast regions with flooding occurring in some areas of the Northeast. Meanwhile, in the Great Plains and adjacent areas of the Corn Belt, above-normal temperatures prevailed with average temperatures ranging 3 to 9 degrees F above normal. Significant precipitation was limited mostly to northern areas of the region. On the Plains, some fields remain soggy, however, recent mild and mostly dry weather favored a gradual return to spring fieldwork. Favorable weather also promoted a limited return to Midwestern fieldwork, particularly in the southwestern Corn Belt, however, many fields remain too cold and wet to support spring planting. Crop development and fieldwork has been aided with rebounding temperatures in the South, however, concerns still exist from the freeze damage in April. Corn: Planting advanced 7 percentage points during the week to 11 percent complete by week's end, behind last year and the normal pace of 22 percent. In the Corn Belt, planting lagged well behind last year and the 5-year average, with farmers in Iowa and Illinois having 8 and 13 percent of their intended corn acreage sown, respectively. Planting had begun in all States except Minnesota and North Dakota, with progress in all States, except Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin running behind normal. Winter Wheat: Heading advanced to 16 percent, 8 percentage points behind last year, but 1 point ahead of normal. The crop in Arkansas and California advanced 29 and 15 percentage points, respectively, during the week, with both States well ahead of their 5-year average. In North Carolina, 31 percent of the crop was heading, 32 percentage points behind last year and slightly behind average. Heading also gained momentum in Oklahoma and Texas where 45 and 39 percent of the acreage was heading, respectively. Freezing temperatures early in the month continues to hamper the progress of the crop in some States, however, winter wheat conditions changed little from the previous week in most States. Cotton: Eleven percent of the crop had been planted, 10 points behind last year and 5 points behind the average pace. In the West, planting steadily advanced with 88 and 40 percent of the crop planted in California and Arizona, respectively. Elsewhere, progress during the week was limited to 4 points or less, with planting not yet underway in Kansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia. Sorghum: Planting was 3 points behind last year, but 3 points ahead of normal, with 21 percent of the intended sorghum crop in the ground. Seeding advanced well ahead of normal in the Delta, with Arkansas growers planting 12 percent of their crop and Louisiana producers planting 28 percent of their acreage during the week. Progress was also ahead of normal in Oklahoma and Texas where 11 and 58 percent of the crop was in the ground, respectively. Rice: Planting advanced to 44 percent complete, 17 points behind last year and 3 points behind the 5-year average. Planting gained momentum during the week but remained behind normal in all States, except California. Emergence, at 20 percent, was 9 and 1 point behind last year and average, respectively. The crop emerged near the normal pace in all States, except Texas, where it lagged 22 points behind normal. Small Grains: Fourteen percent of the spring wheat crop had been sown, 4 points behind last year and 13 points behind normal. Planting advanced ahead of the normal pace in Idaho but lagged behind normal elsewhere. Only limited progress was made during the week in Minnesota and North Dakota but planting advanced 10 points or more in all other areas. Barley planting, at 27 percent complete, was 11 points ahead of last year, and 1 point above the 5-year average. Seeding was most advanced in Washington and Idaho, at 79 and 65 percent planted, respectively, with both States well ahead of last year and normal. Thirteen percent of the crop had emerged, 11 points ahead of last year and 6 points ahead of average. Oat growers had planted 45 percent of their acreage, compared with 63 percent last year and 61 percent for the 5-year average. With the exception of Texas, all States were behind normal, however, significant progress was made during the week. Thirty percent of the crop had emerged, 5 points behind last year and 7 points behind normal. With the crop being planted behind normal, emergence also trailed behind in nearly all States. Other Crops: Sugarbeet planting advanced to 22 percent complete, 3 points behind last year and 14 points behind the average. Planting is near completion in Idaho, at 96 percent planted, well ahead of last year and normal. Meanwhile, Michigan growers had 40 percent of their acreage planted but planting is just getting underway in the Red River Valley. Corn: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 8 3 12 8 IL : 13 0 29 37 IN : 4 0 8 17 IA : 8 0 23 18 KS : 15 5 46 36 KY : 43 29 64 52 MI : 3 0 7 8 MN : 0 0 10 9 MO : 32 18 71 61 NE : 9 1 14 11 NC : 75 55 80 61 ND : 0 0 2 6 OH : 4 1 8 16 PA : 2 1 13 8 SD : 1 0 3 3 TN : 71 54 76 69 TX : 68 67 71 69 WI : 3 0 4 3 : 18 Sts: 11 4 22 22 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 93% of last year's corn acreage. Corn: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 0 NA 0 0 IL : 0 NA 4 6 IN : 0 NA 0 1 IA : 0 NA 0 0 KS : 1 NA 15 9 KY : 12 NA 30 23 MI : 0 NA 0 0 MN : 0 NA 0 0 MO : 7 NA 40 21 NE : 0 NA 0 0 NC : 50 NA 41 30 ND : 0 NA 0 0 OH : 0 NA 0 0 PA : 0 NA 1 1 SD : 0 NA 0 0 TN : 44 NA 33 31 TX : 65 NA 61 60 WI : 0 NA 0 0 : 18 Sts: 3 NA 5 5 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 93% of last year's corn acreage. Rice: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 50 34 73 55 CA : 14 5 0 4 LA : 70 61 81 76 MS : 37 22 69 42 MO : 24 7 71 33 TX : 69 45 88 82 : 6 Sts : 44 30 61 47 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 100% of last year's rice acreage. Rice: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 19 11 26 17 CA : 0 0 0 0 LA : 57 40 65 60 MS : 17 9 34 16 MO : 4 1 20 7 TX : 47 34 81 69 : 6 Sts : 20 13 29 21 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 100% of last year's rice acreage. Cotton: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 7 4 27 24 AZ : 40 30 33 44 AR : 4 0 25 10 CA : 88 76 40 53 GA : 2 1 9 8 KS : 0 0 0 0 LA : 3 0 32 20 MS : 5 4 32 17 MO : 4 0 17 11 NC : 1 0 13 7 OK : 0 0 4 2 SC : 0 0 7 7 TN : 2 0 6 4 TX : 14 13 23 19 VA : 0 0 17 10 : 15 Sts: 11 9 21 16 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 15 States planted 99% of last year's cotton acreage. Sorghum: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 63 51 56 46 CO : 0 0 1 0 IL : 0 0 1 2 KS : 0 0 4 1 LA : 75 47 68 41 MO : 5 4 17 9 NE : 0 0 0 0 NM : 0 0 0 0 OK : 11 5 11 7 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 58 56 64 50 : 11 Sts: 21 19 24 18 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Sugarbeets: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 96 82 61 79 MI : 40 9 58 64 MN : 0 0 12 23 ND : 1 0 3 15 : 4 Sts : 22 15 25 36 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States planted 81% of last year's sugarbeet acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 83 54 76 48 CA : 95 80 70 83 CO : 1 0 1 1 ID : 0 0 0 0 IL : 1 0 3 1 IN : 0 0 0 0 KS : 2 1 18 5 MI : 0 0 0 0 MO : 9 2 26 10 MT : 0 0 0 0 NE : 0 0 0 0 NC : 31 12 63 36 OH : 0 0 0 0 OK : 45 24 69 45 OR : 0 0 0 0 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 39 28 36 31 WA : 0 0 1 1 : 18 Sts: 16 10 24 15 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 92% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 72 62 27 54 MN : 4 0 14 19 MT : 18 6 13 21 ND : 3 0 9 17 SD : 30 8 58 68 WA : 74 56 52 77 : 6 Sts : 14 6 18 27 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 45 22 4 23 MN : 0 0 2 2 MT : 0 0 0 2 ND : 0 0 0 1 SD : 9 3 15 20 WA : 35 18 33 47 : 6 Sts : 4 2 3 6 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Barley: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 65 55 21 41 MN : 4 0 17 14 MT : 26 14 21 30 ND : 1 0 6 11 WA : 79 55 41 63 : 5 Sts : 27 19 16 26 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 78% of last year's barley acreage. Barley: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 48 26 2 14 MN : 0 0 3 2 MT : 3 0 0 6 ND : 0 0 0 0 WA : 31 15 23 34 : 5 Sts : 13 6 2 7 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 78% of last year's barley acreage. Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 58 16 81 88 MN : 11 0 40 35 NE : 67 43 85 85 ND : 2 0 13 13 OH : 28 17 71 53 PA : 28 12 69 53 SD : 30 6 51 58 TX : 100 100 100 100 WI : 19 2 50 41 : 9 Sts : 45 33 63 61 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 9 States planted 67% of last year's oat acreage. Oats: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 22,:Apr 15,:Apr 22,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 7 1 26 35 MN : 0 0 5 5 NE : 20 15 32 41 ND : 0 0 0 0 OH : 1 0 22 14 PA : 3 1 25 17 SD : 7 2 13 17 TX : 100 100 100 100 WI : 0 0 3 5 : 9 Sts : 30 28 35 37 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 9 States planted 67% of last year's oat acreage. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States Week Ending Apr 22, 2007 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 22 42 22 14 0 CA : 1 2 5 31 61 CO : 2 3 19 47 29 ID : 0 1 11 77 11 IL : 8 21 39 28 4 IN : 8 22 42 27 1 KS : 22 19 25 24 10 MI : 1 12 36 41 10 MO : 27 37 30 6 0 MT : 0 4 26 51 19 NE : 3 11 35 41 10 NC : 24 15 29 30 2 OH : 5 22 36 30 7 OK : 2 6 17 51 24 OR : 0 0 8 82 10 SD : 1 10 29 53 7 TX : 2 8 27 39 24 WA : 2 4 21 65 8 : 18 Sts : 9 12 25 39 15 : Prev Wk : 6 11 28 39 16 Prev Yr : 16 18 27 33 6 -------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2006 planted acres. Crop Progress and Condition Survey and Estimating Procedures Survey Procedures: Crop progress and condition estimates are based on survey data collected each week from early April through the end of November. The non-probability crop progress and condition surveys include input from more than 5,000 reporters whose occupations provide them opportunities to make visual observations and frequently bring them in contact with farmers in their counties. Based on standard definitions, these reporters subjectively estimate progress of farmers' activities and progress of crops through various stages of development. They also provide subjective evaluations of crop conditions. Most reporters complete their questionnaires on Friday or early Monday morning and submit them to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Field Offices in their States by mail, telephone, fax, e-mail, or through a secured internet website. A small number of reports are completed on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Regardless of when questionnaires are completed, reporters are asked to report for the week ending on Sunday. For reports submitted prior to the Sunday reference date, a degree of uncertainty is introduced by projections for weekend changes in progress and condition. By the end of the 2001 season, nearly two-thirds of the data were being submitted through the internet website. As a result, about one-half of all data are submitted on Monday morning, significantly reducing projection uncertainty. Reporters are sent written reporting instructions at the beginning of each season and are contacted periodically to ensure proper reporting. Terms and definitions of crop stages and condition categories used as reporting guidelines are available on the NASS website at: www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/National_Crop_Progress/terms_definit ions.asp. Estimating Procedures: Reported data are reviewed for reasonableness and consistency by comparing with data reported the previous week and data reported in surrounding counties for the current week. Each State Field Office summarizes the reported data to district and State levels, weighting each county's reported data by NASS county acreage estimates. Summarized indications are compared with previous week estimates, and progress items are compared with earlier stages of development and historical averages to ensure reasonableness. Weather events and reporter comments are also taken into consideration. State estimates are submitted to the Agricultural Statistics Board (ASB) along with supporting comments, where they are compared with surrounding States and compiled into a National level summary by weighting each State by its acreage estimates. Revision Policy: Progress and condition estimates in the Crop Progress report are released after 4:00 pm ET on the first business day of the week. These estimates are preliminary and subject to corrections or updates in the Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin that is released after 12:00 pm ET on the second business day of the week. 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