HDR1012000170101231961200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released December 31, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Greg Preston at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY December 23 - 29, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: The Pacific Northwest was overwhelmed by a downpour of moisture that caused significant damage and flooding. Heavy rain followed the record snow that left many farms without electricity. Hurricane force winds, combined with the freezing rain, threatened ornamental and fruit trees. The excessive downpour and potential flooding jeopardize vineyards along the Pacific Coast. Most winter wheat in the Northern States was unharmed by the frigid, sub-zero temperatures due to the ample snow cover. Fluctuating temperatures and uneven snow cover in the central Great Plains stressed some exposed winter wheat. Mild weather in Florida aided vegetables recovering from last week's cold snap. Cool nights in Florida's citrus belt prevented new growth. We 1 (12-96) National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 52 December 22 - 28, 1996 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: The Northwest's wet spell gained momentum in its 11th week, boosting monthly precipitation above 30 inches in parts of the Sierra Nevada and dumping heavy snow and freezing rain from western Washington and northern Oregon to the northern Rockies. Despite the Pacific storm fusillade, frigid air clung stubbornly at ground level in the Northwestern and North-Central States. Temperatures failed to rise to 0 degrees F during the week in the northernmost Plains, and averaged up to 35 degrees F below normal in Montana. Unlike last week, the arctic air dealt only a glancing blow to the South and East, as weekly temperatures rebounded to 3 to 10 degrees F above normal. On the central High Plains, however, winter wheat was briefly exposed to near-zero cold. Elsewhere, snow blanketed the upper Midwest and western Great Lakes States, while rain dampened areas from the central Gulf Coast into the Northeast. At week's end, another major storm arrived in the Northwest. Early in the week, warmth returned to the South and East, while an arctic cold front edged southward through the Nation's mid-section. On Sunday, Ft. Smith, AR registered a daily-record high of 73 degrees F; a day later, Houston, TX logged 80 degrees F. Warmth spread to the East Coast by Tuesday, propelling Boston, MA (61 degrees F) to a daily record. Meanwhile in North Dakota, Grand Forks' high topped out at -13 degrees F. The cold outbreak peaked across the northern Plains on December 25-26, producing more than a dozen daily-record lows. Lows on Wednesday dipped to -36 degrees F in Glasgow, MT and -37 degrees F in International Falls, MN. In contrast, Nome, AK registered a daily-record high of 36 degrees F, helping to raise weekly temperatures 4 to 18 degrees F above normal in far western and northern parts of the State. Daily records on Thursday included -34 degrees F in St. Cloud, MN, -28 degrees F in Sheridan, WY, and -5 degrees F in Goodland, KS. A day later, however, highs quickly surged to daily-record levels on the central and southern High Plains, including 70 degrees F in Liberal, KS and 75 degrees F in Midland, TX. Warmth spread eastward at week's end, resulting in a daily-record high of 68 degrees F in Evansville, IN and again boosting Houston's high to 80 degrees F. During the week, snowfall in eastern Washington totaled 15.4 inches in Yakima and 12.4 inches in Spokane. Yakima tallied a daily-record low (-7 degrees F) on December 28, and achieved a 27-inch snow depth by Sunday morning (December 29), breaking their all-time record of 22 inches, set on December 21, 1964. Elsewhere in the interior Northwest, weekly snowfall included 32.7 inches in Missoula, MT and 9.7 inches in Pendleton, OR. Farther east, several disturbances lifted Midwestern totals to 12.9 inches in Green Bay, WI, 9.3 inches in Minneapolis, MN, and 7.0 inches in Dubuque, IA. In Michigan, Marquette's weekly total, enhanced by lake-effect squalls, was 25.0 inches. Similarly, totals reached 7.7 inches at both Erie, PA and Buffalo, NY. Farther south, weekly rainfall topped 2 inches in a few spots from Louisiana to the lower Ohio Valley, including New Orleans, LA and Memphis, TN. Heavy rain also soaked Hawaii's Maui County early in the week, totaling nearly 4 inches in Kahului. In Portland, OR, where an annual rainfall record was eclipsed on December 4, a monthly rainfall record was established on December 29, breaking their 1968 standard of 11.12 inches. Elsewhere in Oregon, annual rainfall records were shattered at week's end in Medford (30.15 inches in 1983), Salem (63.50 inches in 1937), and Astoria (87.39 inches in 1968). Astoria's December record (16.57 inches in 1955) also fell by the wayside. Farther south, Blue Canyon, CA received another 10.92 inches of precipitation--60 percent of which fell in 48hours on December 25-27--increasing their December total to 37.02 inches. Nearly 3 inches of new rainfall padded Eureka's 16.96-inch monthly total. Heavy snow fell as far east as western Colorado, where the snow depth at Wolf Creek Pass stood at 78 inches on December 28, up from 45 inches a week earlier. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12 P.M. ET on January 7, 1997. 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