HDR1012000170100213961200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN HDR2012000170100213961200NAT. AGRI. & Nat. Weath. SUM. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY February 5 - 11, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: Unseasonably warm weather and heavy rains melted the snowpack in the Pacific Northwest and caused considerable flooding. Damage to farm buildings and machinery was extensive and surpassed the December 1995 flood losses. The extent of the damage to winter crops was unknown, but significant livestock losses were reported. Dry conditions continued in the southern Great Plains and in some areas brought land preparation to a halt. Last week's snow and ice storms did not bring enough moisture to significantly reduce the dry conditions. Producers reported additional damage to the small grains from last week's cold weather. The damage has caused some producers to consider plowing up their wheat to plant other crops. Warm, windy weather in the central Great Plains significantly reduced the protective snow cover for winter wheat. Below-freezing temperatures in Florida's citrus belt burned some leaves, but the extent of fruit icing and overall damage was not considered significant. Dry, warm weather in south Florida helped plants recover from the February 4th freeze. Most vegetable acreage in Dade County and along Florida's southeastern coast benefited from growers' protective measures and escaped serious damage. National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 6 February 4 - 10, 1996 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Arctic air eroded rapidly from the Plains eastward, but not before setting nearly 200 additional daily-record lows between Sunday and Tuesday and delivering the season's most severe freeze to Peninsular Florida on February 5. Meanwhile, Pacific warmth and moisture overspread the Northwest, sparking rain- and snowmelt-induced flooding. From midweek onward, more than 75 daily-record highs were set from the West Coast to the Plains. In winter wheat areas, the return to warmth produced 1-week temperature swings of 70 to 105 degrees F and melted protective snow cover from the northern Plains and Northwest. Dry, breezy weather brought additional stress to wheat in the central and southern Plains, where precipitation since October 1, 1995, has averaged 25 to 50 percent of normal. Arctic air reached the Gulf Coast States early in the week, setting all-time barometric pressure readings in Baton Rouge, LA (30.82 inches on February 4) and Tallahassee, FL (30.74 inches on February 5). On Sunday, daily records included -10 degrees F in Parkersburg, WV and -11 degrees F in Tulsa, OK, their lowest temperature since January 1930 and sixth lowest all-time. Temperatures rebounded across the High Plains and Midwest, however, as the mercury reached 52 degrees F in Pueblo, CO after a low of -14 degrees F, while a stretch of sub-zero weather ended at a record 139 hours in Waterloo, IA. On Monday, February records were tied or broken in about a dozen locations, including Elkins, WV (-22 degrees F), Bristol, TN (-15 degrees F), Raleigh-Durha time this season (also December 25 and January 9), sub-freezing temperatures reached into southwestern Florida, where lows dipped to 29 degrees F in Ft. Myers and 27 degrees F in Immokalee. In west-central Florida, both Tampa and Plant City recorded lows of 25 degrees F. Citrus trees incurred only minor leaf damage with icing reported in some fruit. Some ground crops in west-centra Heavy rain arrived in California on Sunday, but shifted northward a day later. In central California, 72-hour (February 2-5) rainfall reached 6.48 inches in Kentfield and 7.25 inches at Blue Canyon. Farther north, severe flooding struck western Oregon, where early-February totals along the Williamette River reached 9.55 inches in Eugene, 8.44 inches in Salem, and 7.12 inches in Portland. On Friday, after rain ended across the Northwest, the Williamette River crested about 18 feet above flood stage (a.f.s.) at Oregon City. In southwestern Washington, crests on the Cowlitz River at Randle (6.2 feet a.f.s) and Castle Rock (9.1 feet a.f.s) broke records that were set on November 30, 1995, while the high-water mark at Kelso (9.0 feet a.f.s) shattered the record set during the "100-year flood" of late-November 1990. Several gauging stations along the Chehalis and Skookumchuck Rivers set crest records that had stood since January 10, 1990. East of the Cascades, several towns along the Yakima River broke crest records on February 9-10 that had stood since December 1933 or December 1977. Rain and snowmelt also caused significant flooding in northern Idaho and western Montana. On Wednesday, temperatures soared to daily-record levels in the central Plains, where highs reached 72 degrees F at both McCook, NE and Hill City, KS. Farther west, Thermal, CA notched 95 degrees F. Despite wetness, record warmth also covered the Northwest on Thursday, as highs in Oregon climbed to 70 degrees F in Medford and 62 degrees F in Salem. Warmth intensified across the Plains on February 9, pushing highs to 70 degrees F as far north as Billings, MT and to 80 degrees F as far north as McCook, NE. In Colorado, Pueblo's high of 78 degrees F came just 6 days after a low of -26 degrees F. At week's end, a dynamic low-pressure system tracked eastward across the Nation's northern tier, trailed by a Pacific-origin high-pressure system. Between circulation centers, high winds raked the Midwest and the Plains. Northerly component wind gusts reached 66 mph in Aberdeen, SD, 56 mph in Ft. Wayne, IN, and 53 mph in both North Platte, NE and Midland, TX. Before the cooler air reached Texas, daily-record highs included 85 degrees F in San Angelo and 87 degrees F in Abilene. Meanwhile on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, snowfall on Saturday totaled 5.8 inches in Marquette and 7.3 inches in Sault Sainte Marie, padding their all-time record seasonal total to 190.9 inches.