HDR1012000170100312961200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY March 4 - 10, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: Wheat condition deteriorated across the central Great Plains due to frigid temperatures and continued dry weather. A late-week blast of cold arctic air held some Kansas wheat dormant and kept reports of insect problems to a minimum. Moisture was desperately needed across the central and southern Great Plains, especially in areas where wheat broke dormancy. Dry conditions have prevailed in the wheat region since winter wheat was seeded last fall, pulling average precipitation levels to the lowest in 25 years. The wintry weather and high winds stressed wheat in the Texas High Plains. In Oklahoma, wheat jointing was 4 percent(%) complete, 10 percentage points behind the average of 14%, and 36 points behind last year. Cotton planting was underway in south Texas and California's desert counties. Heavy rains and thunderstorms in the Southeast slowed fieldwork. National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 10 March 3 - 9, 1996 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: The winter wheat area of the central and southern Plains--having completed its second driest October-February on record (37 percent of normal precipitation), and driest since 1966-67--endured another sharp temperature drop, accompanied by high winds and little or no snowfall. The core of the Arctic high-pressure system crossed the Canadian border into Montana on Thursday, reaching the Southeast by week's end. The cold air was responsible for nearly 200 daily records and a handful of March-record lows after midweek, and forced a strong cold front across the Southeast, sparking heavy rain and spawning more than two dozen tornadoes. Farther north, snow added to seasonal-r West, warm, dry conditions superseded early-week storminess. Early in the week, a high-pressure system briefly chilled the eastern half of the Nation. On Sunday, daily records included -28 degrees F in International Falls, MN and -1 degree F in Rockford, IL. A day later, Elkins, WV noted -7 degrees F. On March 3-4, lake-enhanced snowfall in the Northeast totaled 10.6 inches in Erie, PA and 4.4 inches in Syracuse, NY. Farther west, a sharp north-south temperature gradient became established across the Plains, resulting in a midweek range from -30 degrees F in Havre, MT to 99 degrees F in McAllen, TX. As a cold front punched through the central and southern Plains on Wednesday, winds that 2 days earlier had gusted from the south or southwest to 46 mph in Wichita, KS and 40 mph in Lubbock, TX were clocked from the north at 45 and 51 mph respectively. In Dodge City, KS, the Arctic intrusion lowered temperatures 84 degrees F, from a high of 79 degrees F on Monday to a low of -5 degrees F on Thursday. Daily-record cold appeared in the northern Plains on Wednesday, including a low to -26 degrees F in Bismarck, ND. Two days later, more than five dozen records were set from the Plains into the Southeast. A low of -21 degrees F in Rapid City, SD set a March record, while readings dipped to -5 degrees F as far south as Hill City and Colby, KS. About 100 records were established on Saturday morning, including March-record lows in Calico Rock, AR (6 degrees F) and Monroe, LA (18 degrees F). Tree blooms and ground crops across the Southeastern and Gulf Coast States were threatened by lows in the teens and 20's, but central Florida escaped with near-freezing temperatures. Nevertheless, Florida's daily records for March 9 included 32 degrees F in Lakeland and 33 degrees F in both Tampa and Orlando. Rainfall in the Southeast boosted monthly totals through March 7 to 6.75 inches in Birmingham, AL; 4.66 inches in Meridian, MS; and 3.80 inches in Atlanta, GA. Birmingham registered consecutive daily-rainfall records on March 6-7, including a 4.03-inch total on Wednesday. Farther north, heavy snow overspread the Northeast on March 5 and again on March 7-8. Four-day (March 5-8) snowfall reached 17.3 inches in Albany, NY; 12.4 inches in Boston, MA; and 12.2 inches in Windsor Locks, CT. Meanwhile, cold air edged as far west as eastern Washington, where heavy snow (13.1 inches) blanketed Spokane on March 3-5. At midweek, light snow (0.2 inches) fell as far south as Albuquerque, NM. But warmer air overspread the West after midweek, fueling daily-record highs in California at San Diego (85 degrees F on Friday) and the L.A. Civic Center (89 degrees F on Saturday). In Hawaii, an early-week deluge yielded to tranquil, cool conditions. On Sunday, rainfall totaled 7.56 inches in Hilo. Lihue's daily-record low (57 degrees F on Friday) followed a 3.01-inch rainfall on March 3-4. Meanwhile, above-normal temperatures continued for a second consecutive week in Alaska, with departures of +14 to +20 degrees F across western and northern sections.