HDR1012000170100103961200WEEKLY WEATHER AND CROP BULLETIN HDR2012000170100103961200NAT'L WEATHER SUMMARY DEC 24-30, 95 National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 1 December 24 - 30, 1995 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: A quiet weather pattern--featuring a narrow temperature range across the Nation and a split jet stream--broke down at week's end, allowing the return of precipitation to the Northwest and the onset of heavy snow in the Rockies. Farther east, Florida experienced an early-week freeze and weekly temperatures up to 12 degrees F below normal. In contrast, departures averaged more than 10 degrees F above normal across parts of the northern Plains. Early in the week, snow showers remained active in New England and downwind of the Great Lakes, while high pressure settled across the Gulf Coast States. In Burlington, VT, measurable snow fell on 22 days during December (totaling 44.0 inches), tying the record set in January 1978. Snowfall pushed the season- their 1994-95 seasonal total (53.7 inches). Farther south, minimum temperatures fell below 30 degrees F on 10 consecutive days (December 21-30) in Wilmington, NC, the first such occurrence since December 1989. In southern Florida, Christmas-morning temperatures dipped below freezing as far south as Immokalee (29 degrees F) and Belle Glade (31 degrees F). Northernmost winter crop regions logged readings at or below freezing, including 26 degrees F in Plant City. Damage to central Florida's citrus was generally minor, but some ground crops, including cucumbers and squash, incurred damage. Near- to below-freezing temperatures struck again on December 26, but averaged about 3 degrees F higher than the previous morning. Temperatures in Miami, FL failed to reach 65 degrees F on an all-time record 8 consecutive days (December 21-28), eclipsing the former mark of 6 days, set in February 1958. Elsewhere across the South, Charleston, SC (22 degrees F) and Jackson, MS (18 degrees F) notched daily-record lows on Friday. In contrast, weekly temperatures averaged 7 to 17 degrees F above normal in much of Alaska, including a daily-record high of 45 degrees F in Yakutat on Tuesday. Precipitation returned to the Northwest after midweek, including a daily-record rainfall of 2.81 inches in Eureka, CA on Friday. Despite the return of some precipitation to California, the water equivalent of the Sierra Nevada snowpack slipped to about 40 percent of normal at year's end. Heavy snow spread into Utah's Wasatch Range on Friday, where Alta's 3-day total reached 28 inches. Farther east, a weak storm--the last in a series of southern-branch systems--spa (December 31), 24-hour rainfall reached 1.98 inches in El Dorado, AR and 2.45 inches in Memphis, TN. HDR2012000170100103961200NAT'L WEATHER SUMMARY DEC 24-30, 95 NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY December 25 - 31, 1995 HIGHLIGHTS: Heavy rainfall in Florida over the New Year's weekend left fields muddy and brought central Florida's vegetable harvest to a standstill. Cucumbers and squash in southwestern Florida suffered major damage from freezing weather early in the week. Harvest activity for Florida's oranges for processing was active, and some tangerines and tangelos moved to processors due to low temperatures. Storms at week's end in the Pacific Northwest brought moisture to already saturated fields, causing some producers to ditch fields to remove excess water. The rains hampered fieldwork in California, but boosted small grain growth. More rain is needed in California's vegetable region. Dryland small grain fields in the Texas High Plains benefited from the recent snowfall, but more moisture is needed. Dry conditions and cool weather slowed small grain growth in central Texas.