HDR1012000170100222951200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN HDR2012000170100222951200NAT. AGRI. SUMMARY NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY February 13 - 19, 1995 HIGHLIGHTS: Light rains and wet soils delayed fieldwork in California's Sacramento Valley, while elsewhere, fieldwork gradually resumed. Flood damage to wheat fields in some California counties became evident as waters receded. Arctic weather early in the week in the Pacific Northwest delivered heavy snow. Unseasonably warm weather later in the week brought rain that left soils too wet for ground preparation. Wheat producers in the Columbia Basin of Oregon were preparing to replant wheat because of Cheatgrass infestation. In the Southwestern States, the small grains were established and over half of the wheat fields were jointing. Warm weather allowed farmers to prepare for the spring planting in New Mexico, where light insect and weed problems were reported. Cold, cloudy weather in Texas early in the week slowed insect activity and limited winter wheat progress. Later in the week, dry weather across Texas allowed producers to begin fertilizing and topdressing fields. Mild weather in the lower Mississippi Valley permitted fieldwork to gain headway. Cold weather in the Midwest changed to unusually mild conditions late in the week. Midwestern farmers spread fertilizer and lime later in the week after temperatures rose. Moisture from the snow melt in Kansas was absorbed by the unfrozen soil and benefited the small grains. Warm weather in the Ohio Valley stimulated wheat growth. Cool weather and wet field conditions in the Southeastern States limited field preparation. Bitter cold nighttime temperatures, snow, and high winds in the northern Great Plains stressed livestock. The winter wheat condition remained mostly fair to good in Montana despite cold arctic weather and wind. HDR2012000170100222951200NAT. WEATHER SUMMARY National Weather Summary Volume 82, No. 8 February 12 - 18, 1995 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Arctic high pressure overspread all but the Nation's southwestern quadrant during the first half of the week. Winter wheat was subjected to temperatures as low as 0 degrees F in eastern Washington and -15 to -20 degrees F in Montana, while snow cover in both areas was patchy. Meanwhile, a low- pressure system produced heavy snow as it traveled along the arctic boundary through Oregon and into the central Rockies. The storm turned northeastward and reached the Great Lakes States by midweek, passing into Quebec a day later. It edged the arctic high offshore, ending the cold spell. Several disturbances rippled along the storm's trailing cold front, generating heavy rain in southern California and Arizona early in the week, and in the Southeastern States between Tuesday and Friday. At week's end, an arctic front became established just north of, and parallel to, the U.S.-Canadian border, allowing an expanse of warm, dry air to dominate the Nation. Rain showers lingered along the southern Atlantic coast, while heavy precipitation moved into the Pacific Northwest. Beneficial snow fell in the central Plains on Sunday, where Garden City, KS netted 11 inches and Dodge City, KS reported a storm total of 7 inches. Extremely heavy snow was reported in the central Rockies and the Wasatch Range, with 4-day (February 10-13) totals reaching 3 to 4 feet. Snow levels dropped to sea level in the Pacific Northwest, and by Monday morning, snow depths ranged from a trace in Quillayute, WA to 5 inches in Portland, OR. Farther inland, depths included 7 inches in Pendleton, OR and 8 inches in Walla Walla, WA, but diminished to only a trace to the north in Spokane, WA. Spokane's minimum plunged to 2 degrees F on Tuesday, and daily-record lows were tied a day later as far south as Redding, CA (28 degrees F). Farther east, daily records were set or tied on Sunday in Mansfield, OH (-6 degrees F) and South Bend, IN (-4 degrees F). Snow squalls were active downwind of the Great Lakes. A day later, lows included -18 degrees F in Great Falls, MT and -19 degrees F in Aberdeen, SD. Cold air retreated after midweek, resulting in a 95-degree range of low temperatures on Thursday morning, from -22 degrees F in Grand Forks, ND to 73 degrees F in Key West, FL. Later on Thursday, highs soared to daily-record levels in Meridian, MS (82 degrees F) and Montgomery, AL (81 degrees F). In southern California, 72-hour rainfall (February 13-15) locally topped 5 inches, causing flash flooding. Totals included 6.88 inches on Mt. Palomar, 6.21 inches atop Mt. Wilson, 4.68 inches in Wrightwood, and 3.79 inches in Alpine. Flagstaff, AZ recorded 3.07 inches. Heavy precipitation shifted into the Ohio Valley by midweek, where more than 2 inches of rain fell in Bowling Green, KY. Snow continued along the storm center's track, with accumulations reaching a foot in Duluth, MN. Light snow, sleet, and freezing rain developed from the central Plains to the Northeast. Heavy rain persisted in the Southeast through Friday, pushing weekly totals above 4 inches in Chattanooga, TN and Macon, GA. Isolated totals approached 10 inches in the southern Appalachians, causing flash flooding. In addition, a half-dozen tornadoes swept across the Southeast, the strongest of which struck Joppa, AL on Thursday morning. The tornado cut a 14-mile swath that reached a diameter of up to a half mile. In the Pacific Northwest, late-week rainfall caused minor flooding. Totals ranged from more than 3 inches in Astoria, OR to nearly 6 inches in Quillayute, WA. Farther east, highs on Friday reached 70 degrees F as far north as McCook, NE. A day later, the high of 68 degrees F in Eugene, OR set a daily record. In Hawaii, heavy rain overspread the western islands of Kauai and Oahu for the first time in more than 4 months. Weekly totals included 4.66 inches in Lihue, Kauai, and 1.32 inches in Honolulu, Oahu.