HDR1012000170101212951200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN HDR2012000170101212951200NAT. AGRI. SUMMARY NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY December 4 - 10, 1995 HIGHLIGHTS: A winter storm hit the Northern States late in the week, bringing fieldwork to a halt. The storm system deposited snow over the Midwest and Northeast and was followed by sub-zero temperatures. Adequate snow cover protected most of the winter wheat from the low temperatures, but the snow cover was patchy across the Northern Plains. Last week's flood waters subsided in the Pacific Northwest, but rain added to standing water in low-lying fields. Later in the week, in Oregon's Willamatte Valley, an ice storm threatened nursery stock. Northern California received much-needed rain, but some growers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys continued to wait for moisture before planting. Ten successive weeks of dry weather in the southern Great Plains left small grain fields in critical need of moisture. Small grain emergence of some late-planted fields was poor due to the continued dry conditions. In Texas, greenbug populations were up, requiring increased spraying activities. HDR2012000170101212951200NAT. WEATHER SUMMARY National Weather Summary Volume 82, No. 50 December 3 - 9, 1995 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Arctic air poured southeastward from Alaska and western Canada, reaching the northern Plains on Thursday and overspreading the rest of the Nation--except the Southwest--by week's end. Most winter wheat in the Pacific Northwest and Plains had no snow-cover insulation. In addition, wheat in the central and southern Plains was subjected to a ninth or tenth consecutive week of dry weather. Elsewhere, seasonal precipitation continued to wax in northern California, while rain twice overspread the Southeast. Farther north, a midweek snowfall from the lower Missouri Valley to the Middle Atlantic region was followed by light snow in the Nation's northeastern quadrant at week's end. On Saturday, intense snow squalls developed downwind of the Great Lakes. During the first half of the week, warmth covered the South and West, setting more than 30 daily records. On Sunday, highs topped 80 degrees F as far north as El Dorado, AR (81 degrees F). A day later, New Orleans, LA notched its first of three consecutive daily records, including a December record-tying high of 84 degrees F on December 5. Farther west, highs on Tuesday reached 88 degrees F in Del Rio, TX and 68 degrees F in Green River, UT. Meanwhile, a fast-moving weather system raced from coast-to-coast across southern Canada in 2 days, delivering high winds to the Northwest on Monday, and cooling much of the Nation by midweek. In Montana, Missoula clocked an all-time record gust to 76 mph, while an observer in nearby Plains reported a gust to 110 mph. Farther west, gusts in Washington reached 48 mph in Spokane and 51 mph in Hanford. A narrow band of snow developed in the system's wake, leaving depths on Thursday morning of 4 inches in Omaha, NE and 10 inches in Roanoke, VA. Farther south, rainfall topped an inch in locations such as Montgomery, AL and Augusta, GA. A handful of daily records were set in snow-covered areas on Friday morning, including lows of 12 degrees F in Bristol, TN and 1 degrees F in Blacksburg, VA. In Alaska, early-week lows plunged to -50 degrees F in Bettles and -58 degrees F in Fort Yukon. As frigid air accelerated southeastward, midweek lows near the Yukon border plummeted to -60 degrees F in Tok and -52 degrees F in Northway. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 20 degrees F below normal in much of eastern Alaska, and 36 degrees F below normal at Whitehorse, in Canada's Yukon Territory. By Friday morning, lows in Montana fell to -26 degrees F in Great Falls and -18 degrees F in Miles City. A day later, the cold front surged southward through Texas and eastward across the western Atlantic. On Saturday, lows dipped to 0 degrees F as far south as a northern Kansas-to-cen accompanied by northwesterly wind gusts as high as 47 mph. A general 1- to 4-in areas as far west as eastern Kansas and as far south as the Ohio River. Much heavier snow fell in Great Lakes squalls, including an all-time 24-hour total of 23.9 inches in Sault Sainte Marie, MI on December 8-9. By Sunday morning, their snow depth reached a December-record 42 inches, with snow continuing to fall. Record snowfall also developed in Buffalo, NY, culminating in an all-time record total of 37.9 inches during the 24 hours ending at 7 p.m. on December 10. Farther south and east, rainfall ended in the Gulf Coast States and eastern New England after totals topped an inch in locations such as Shreveport, LA, Birmingham, AL, and Providence, RI. Meanwhile, warm, moist air began to overspread the Northwest, including a daily- remained entrenched at ground level east of the Cascades, resulting in freezing rain. Farther south, where California's Sierra Nevada snowpack stood at only 5 percent of normal on December 4, conditions improved slightly. Blue Canyon, in the foothills, recorded nearly 2 inches of rain during the week.