HDR1012000170100110951200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN HDR2012000170100110951200NAT. AGRI. SUMMARY NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY January 2 - 8, 1995 HIGHLIGHTS: Heavy rains deluged California, bringing all field activities to a virtual stop. Small grains in California realized excellent growth from the above-normal precipitation, but wheat in low-lying fields was flooded and yellowing from the surplus water. In western Washington, flooding decreased but damage to winter cereal crops was reported. A widespread storm system deposited heavy rains across Arizona, slowing field work. Winter hit the Nation as the new year began bringing extreme cold and the first major winter snow storm of the year. The cold winter weather slowed small grain growth across the Nation. An appreciable amount of Iowa grain stored outside still remained at the end of December. Snowfall late in the week in the Great Lakes region was accompanied by very cold temperatures. States in the upper Mississippi Valley and the northern Great Plains remained concerned with the lack of adequate snow cover. Without sufficient protection from the snow cover, fall-seeded crops are at greater risk to winter kill. The low temperatures in the southern Great Plains helped keep insect problems to a minimum. Light snow and rain across the Texas High Plains delayed the completion of the cotton harvest, but benefited moisture-stressed fields. Cotton harvested in Texas was 98 percent complete, 2 percentage points behind last year. HDR2012000170100110951200NAT. WEATHER SUMMARY National Weather Summary Volume 82, No. 2 January 1 - 7, 1995 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: A potent late-week storm deluged northern California with several inches of precipitation, causing flash flooding and mud slides, but signaling a return of drought-easing precipitation. Earlier in the week, another strong storm dropped southward along the west coast, brushing northern California. The system then dropped heavy precipitation in the Southwest, left a swath of ice and snow from the southern Plains to the Northeast, and spawned an unusually violent January tornado outbreak in the Southeast. Across much of the Nation, early-week conditions were governed by an expansive arctic high pressure system that slowly shifted eastward. In contrast, weekly temperatures averaged more than 20 degrees F above normal in western Alaska. The first few days of the year brought an end to snow squall-free weather in the Great Lake States. By midweek, accumulations topped 5 feet at Montague, NY, east of Lake Ontario. In the Lake Erie snowbelt, Silver Creek, NY measured 29 inches. Along the leading edge of the arctic boundary, a developing storm dumped heavy snow in coastal New England, including a foot in Bath, ME. Farther west, Scottsbluff, NE reported -16 degrees F on Sunday, and a daily- record of -22 degrees F on Wednesday after a reinforcing arctic surge. Elsewhere on Wednesday, lows included -40 degrees F in Wisdom, MT, -13 degrees F in Spencer, IA, -8 degrees F in St. Joseph, MO, and -5 degrees F in Moline, IL. Winter wheat in the Plains and the Ohio Valley was largely insulated by snow cover where temperatures dipped below 0 degrees F, while most unprotected areas had temperatures no lower than the single digits. Meanwhile in the West, the last in a series of storms to drop southward along the coast charged ashore in southern California at midweek. Well in advance of the system, snow, sleet, and freezing drizzle plagued the southern High Plains. By Tuesday morning, 4 inches of snow blanketed Abilene, TX, while an inch covered Midland, TX. In Utah's Wasatch Range, Alta tallied 41 inches of snow in 4 days, 26 inches of which fell in 24 hours on January 5 - 6. In Arizona, 24-hour amounts (January 4 - 5) included 18 inches at Greer, 17 inches at Alpine, and 16 inches at Pinetop. Bellemont, AZ, near Flagstaff, collected a storm total of 17.6 inches. Seven Springs, NM, near Santa Fe, netted 30 inches of new snow. Farther west, in southern California, heavy rain caused a few mud slides and extensive urban flooding. On Wednesday, Riverside established a single-day January rainfall record with 3.16 inches; San Diego received its 14th heaviest 1-day deluge on record with 2.24 inches. Los Angeles absorbed a storm total of 5.37 inches. Precipitation spread rapidly northeastward after midweek. On Friday, snowfall included 9 inches in Des Moines, IA, 5.5 inches in Madison, WI, 5 inches in Moline, IL, 4 inches in Russell, KS, and 2 inches in Kirksville, MO. Freezing rain plagued areas from eastern Oklahoma to the central Appalachians. Farther south, a broad area of rain overspread the Southeast and the Atlantic Seaboard. Nearly 2 inches of rain fell in Nashville, TN and Boston, MA. On Friday into early Saturday, the storm's trailing cold front swept across the Southeast, producing 13 tornadoes. Five tornadoes hit Louisiana before noon, followed by three twisters apiece in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. One tornado in Florida, a quarter-mile wide, traveled 12 miles across Marion County, reportedly destroying 150 homes. A fatality occurred at Elizabethtown, NC. In addition, straight-line (non-tornadic) winds gusted to 147 mph in Goldsboro, NC. Meanwhile, a powerful storm took aim on the West. On Saturday, winds were clocked to 128 mph in the central Sierra Nevada atop Slide Mountain (near Reno, NV). Nearly 3 feet of new snow cloaked Mammoth Lakes, CA. Farther east, a foot of snow buried Virginia City, NV. At lower elevations of northern California, heavy rain caused flooding and mud slides. Weekly rainfall (through 4 p.m. PST on January 8) included 8.77 inches at the Marin Civic Center, 7.31 inches at Blue Canyon (rain and liquid-equivalent snow), 6.54 inches at Kentfield, and 6.15 inches at Mount Shasta.