HDR1012000170101219951200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN HDR2012000170101219951200NAT. AGRI. & Weather Summary NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY December 11 - 17, 1995 HIGHLIGHTS: Rain over the southern Great Plains, mostly south of the Kansas border, brought relief from the drought that had endangered the wheat crop. A late-week storm system over the Delta caused some flooding but improved small grain conditions. The limited snow that fell in the central Great Plains drifted and provided little relief for the wheat. Most of California received substantial rainfall and high winds, but no damage to field crops reported but some fruit trees were blown over. Heavy rainfall in the Pacific Northwest fell on fields saturated from last week's storm resulting in substantial runoff. Small grain plantings were behind normal in the Southwest due to the lateness of the cotton crop. Weeks of temperature fluctuations and poor pasture conditions caused problems for Midwestern livestock producers who were forced to feed hay earlier than normal. Farmers in the Southern States were hoping for a winter cold enough to kill insects. Greenbug problems were increasing in Texas, requiring increased spraying operations. Freezing weather in Florida did not reach the citrus belt and caused no significant damage to crops. Florida's citrus area remained dry, with harvest very active for the Christmas market. National Weather Summary Volume 82, No. 51 December 10 - 16, 1995 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: One of the strongest storms on record blasted the Pacific Northwest on December 12 with high winds and heavy precipitation. Farther south, Tuesday's "super storm" and subsequent disturbances boosted the Sierra Nevada snowpack to nearly half of the mid-December normal, up from 5 percent on December 4. In advance of the storminess, more than 40 daily-record highs were set in the West, with an additional two dozen records across the South-Cent a short-lived cold blast (more than three dozen daily records) and a bout with snow and ice. But by Thursday, daily-record warmth migrated as far east as the Ohio Valley. At week's end, the Southwest's first major winter storm dumped heavy snow and took aim on dry soils in the central and southern Plains. On Sunday, lows fell below zero as far south as Springfield, MO (-5 degrees F). In the Gulf Coast States, daily records included 25 degrees F in Victoria, TX, 23 degrees F in Baton Rouge, LA, 16 degrees F in Meridian, MS, and 13 degrees F in Birmingham, AL. Farther north, lake-enhanced snow ended on Tuesday in Sault Sainte Marie, MI. Records (for any month) were set for storm-total snowfall (61.7 inches on December 8-12), 24-hour snowfall (27.8 inches on December 9-10), and monthly snowfall (82.5 inches). By storm's end, December records were established for precipitation (5.25 inches) and snow depth (50 inches). Bitterly cold conditions persisted through midweek from the Great Lakes States eastward. On Monday, highs remained below zero in Minnesota at Duluth (-11 degrees F) and Rochester (-2 degrees F). A day later, the mercury plunged to -39 degrees F in International Falls, MN, their fourth coldest December temperature on record. In Michigan, Houghton Lake (-12 degrees F) and Alpena (-9 degrees F) tallied daily-record lows on December 13. Pacific moisture, overrunning the shallow cold layer, resulted in snow and freezing rain. On Monday, Williston, ND measured 8.3 inches of snow and a daily-record precipitation total of 0.27 inches. Two days later, an inch of new snow covered Pittsburgh, PA and Columbus, OH, while light freezing rain glazed areas as far south as the central Plains and the Middle Atlantic region. Farther south, 0.42 inches of rain dampened Key West, FL on Tuesday, ending a 41-day dry spell. While a storm deepened to 28.11 inches (952 millibars) west of the Oregon coast on Tuesday, Las Vegas, NV experienced a record 102nd consecutive day without measurable rainfall. Farther east, warmth overspread the southern Plains, where daily records included 79 degrees F in Roswell, NM and 76 degrees F in Amarillo, TX. But from Washington to California, a reported 1.5 million customers lost electricity as wind gusts topped 100 mph from the mouth of the Columbia River to San Francisco Bay. In coastal Oregon, gusts reached 119 mph at Sea Lion Caves, 112 mph at Cannon Beach, and 107 mph--an all-time record--at the Newport courthouse. California's maximum gusts included 103 mph in San Francisco Bay (Angel Island), 85 mph in Redding, and 64 mph, a December record, in Eureka. High winds also spread inland to Winnemucca, NV (65 mph), Casper, WY (61 mph), and Pocatello, ID (58 mph). The storm kicked up large swells that on Tuesday night ranged from 18 to 22 feet on the Washington coast to as much as 28 feet along the northern and central California coast. All-time low barometric pressures were recorded at several stations on December 12, including 28.93 inches in Medford, OR, 28.65 inches in Seattle, WA, and 28.53 inches in Astoria, OR. The pressure dropped to 28.99 inches in Spokane, WA, breaking their December record. In northern California, 48-hour rainfall (December 10-12) reached 11.27 inches in Kentfield and 11.01 inches at Blue Canyon. While heavy rain (2 to 8 inches) brought some renewed flooding to previously inundated areas west of the Cascades, northern California, despite 4- to 15-inch totals, escaped with primarily urban, small-stream, and minor river flooding due to antecedent dryness. At midweek, highs reached 70 degrees F as far north as Leoti, KS, while San Angelo, TX registered 85 degrees F. Strong winds, which gusted to 38 mph in Midland, TX, raised dust across portions of the southern Plains. On Thursday, warmth overspread the Ohio Valley, where daily-record highs climbed to 72 degrees F in Evansville, IN and 65 degrees F in Columbus, OH. A day later, rain developed from eastern Texas to the central Appalachians, with totals topping an inch in locations such as Lufkin, TX, Tupelo, MS, and Louisville, KY. Meanwhile, a strong upper-level storm slid southeastward through the Southwest, sparking snow. By Sunday (December 15), depths in Arizona reached 13 inches in Pinetop and 8 inches in Heber. Light showers developed farther east, a harbinger of Sunday's drought-easing rains in the southern Plains' wheat areas and flooding in the central Gulf Coast region.