HDR1012000170100319961200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY March 11 - 17, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: Wheat condition improved slightly in Kansas as much-needed rain fell across southern Kansas and parts of northern Oklahoma. The rain, combined with warmer weather, spurred wheat development in parts of the central Great Plains. More rain was needed, since most areas received less than an inch of rain. Wheat condition continued to decline in Oklahoma, since the full effect of the late-week precipitation was not realized. Southern Oklahoma and most of Texas remained dry. Some leaf burn and damage to early-headed small grains was reported in Texas as a result of the previous week's freeze. More Texas wheat fields were plowed as a result of the continued dry weather. Short supplies of hay in Texas have prompted livestock producers to increase culling their herds. In Oklahoma, wheat jointing was 15 percent(%) complete, 15 percentage points behind the average of 30%, and 35 points behind this date in 1995. Wet weather in California slowed fieldwork but improved growing conditions. The dry weather allowed fieldwork to progress rapidly in Texas, where cotton planting was ahead of the average. National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 11 March 10 - 16, 1996 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Urgently needed rain fell across southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, improving prospects for winter wheat. In combination with the moisture, warmth promoted wheat development. Dryness persisted through week's end, however, across the remainder of Oklahoma and Texas. Meanwhile in California, showery weather subsided by midweek, replaced by warm, dry conditions. Farther east, an early-week coastal storm lashed eastern Florida with heavy rain and high winds. Rain overspread much of the East toward week's end. Arctic high pressure lingered over the East early in the week, setting an additional five dozen daily records. On Sunday, lows dipped below zero as far south as Scranton, PA (-1 degree F). Farther south, daily records included 6 degrees F in Charleston, WV and 26 degrees F in Lake Charles, LA. The barometric pressure reached a March-record 30.95 inches at Washington's National Airport. On Tuesday, Meridian, MS notched their last of four consecutive daily records (18, 22, 23, and 27 degrees F), while Asheville, NC marked their last of five (12, 8, 10, 16, and 18 degrees F). Meanwhile, high winds and heavy surf pounded the South Atlantic States. On Monday, Hatteras, NC clocked a northerly wind gust to 44 mph. Heavy rain was confined to eastern Florida, where Monday's daily-record totals included 5.24 inches in Melbourne and 3.55 inches in Daytona Beach. Due to rapid warming, spring snow-melt and ice-jam flooding commenced in the North-Central States. On Tuesday, International Falls, MN tallied a daily-recor F as far north as Lawton, OK, and soared to daily-record levels in locations such as Webster City, IA (71 degrees F) and Hastings, NE (73 degrees F). In contrast, snowfall in Flagstaff, AZ totaled 8.0 inches on March 12-13, while more than an inch of rain fell across much of northern and central California. After midweek, storminess emerged from the Southwest and squeezed into a narrow belt across Kansas and Oklahoma. Thursday's 1.09-inch rainfall in Wichita, KS represented nearly 85 percent of their year-to-date total. Despite a 0.58-inch total in Topeka, KS, rainfall since October 1 reached only 2.97 inches, about 30 percent of normal. Severe thunderstorms in Oklahoma produced three tornadoes and accounted for more than half of the day's nearly 50 reports of 1 inch, or larger, hail. Upslope flow brought wet snow to the central High Plains on Thursday, with totals in Colorado reaching 5.9 inches in Denver and 3.5 inches in Colorado Springs. Meanwhile, the Texas plains' dry spell reached 23 weeks, accompanied by warm weather and frequent wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph. Toward week's end, rain shifted into the East, totaling more than an inch in locations such as Evansville, IN, Huntington, WV, and Greenville-Spartanburg, SC. More than a half-dozen tornadic thunderstorms swept through the Southeast on Saturday, including four in Tennessee. Meanwhile, warmth overspread the Northwest, boosting highs on Friday to daily-record levels in Sheridan, WY (70 degrees F) and Williston, ND (67 degrees F). A day later, Shelter Cove, CA registered 81 degrees F, their third consecutive daily record. Above-normal temperatures also encompassed southern Alaska, but were accompanied by heavy precipitation. Yakutat collected 9.72 inches during the week.