HDR1012000170100107971200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released January 7, 1997, 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 30 - January 5, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: Rain and snowmelt in the Pacific Northwest caused flooding that threatened nursery stock and structures. Heavy rain in parts of California delayed ground preparation and harvest activity. A late-week snowstorm in the Northern States increased snow cover for small grains. Scattered rains over the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys brought beneficial moisture for winter wheat. Unseasonably warm weather in Texas aided small grains affected by previous low temperatures. Persistent dry weather in the southern Great Plains stressed some small grain fields and pastures. The cotton harvest in Texas was virtually completed as the new year started. In Florida, the citrus area received little rain, but warm weather aided new growth. Florida's vegetable region benefited from the mild weather. We 1 (1-97) National Weather Summary Volume 84, No. 1 December 29, 1996 - January 4, 1997 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: For the fifth time in 25 months, severe flooding struck the West. In the western Sierra Nevada foothills, weekly rainfall locally topped 25 inches, boosting 5-week totals to more than 50 inches. In addition, unusually high temperatures caused significant snowmelt throughout the Northwest, further overwhelming river basins. Overshadowed by the flooding was coast-to-coast warmth, as temperatures averaged 5 to 25 degrees F above normal nearly nationwide, resulting in more than 300 daily-record highs. Nevertheless, blizzard conditions returned to the northern Plains and western Great Lakes States at week's end, ending a brief thaw. Farther east, scattered thunderstorms signaled a cold front's passage and the end of record warmth. The flood-affected area, from Washington to western Montana, southward to central California and western Nevada, has been inundated frequently in recent years. In February 1996, western Oregon was particularly hard-hit, just 2 months after near-record to record flooding swept through river basins in western Washington. And in January and March 1995, California weathered back-to-back flood events. This time, Blue Canyon, CA, on the heels of December precipitation that totaled 43.32 inches, netted 14.48 inches during a 48-hour period on December 31 - January 2. Blue Canyon, which lies in the American River basin and typically receives 10.46 inches in December and 62.67 inches in an average year, collected 59.26 inches during the 34-day period ending January 3. Closer to the coast, Eureka's December rainfall was 21.26 inches, bettering their all-time monthly mark of 19.02 inches, set in February 1902. Even on the San Joaquin Valley floor, Fresno posted a record season-to-date rainfall (8.95 inches) through January 2. In addition to the rainfall, high winds buffeted the region early in the week. On Sunday, winds reached 87 mph near Reno, NV, and gusts in excess of 100 mph were clocked along the Oregon coast. Farther north, snow changed to rain, but not before as much as 1 to 2 feet buried western Washington, even at sea level. Seattle reported about 12.0 inches. East of the Cascades, snow and freezing rain lingered on Sunday. In Washington, 12.0 inches of snow blanketed Yakima on December 29, leaving their depth at an all-time-record 27 inches. Another 6.2 inches in Spokane lifted their monthly total to a December-record 42.7 inches. Monthly snowfall in Montana reached 54.1 inches in Missoula and 47.4 inches in Kalispell. In western Oregon, the late-month rainfall boosted totals to December-record levels in Astoria (20.38 inches), Salem (14.71 inches), and Portland (13.35 inches). Olympia, WA (15.91 inches) also collected December-record rainfall. Only 2 days after snow and freezing rain ended in Washington, daily-record highs on December 31 included 69 degrees F in Walla Walla and 56 degrees F in Seattle. Farther east, the warmth peaked on Thursday with January-record highs in Laramie, WY (59 degrees F), Colorado Springs, CO (73 degrees F), and Pueblo, CO (81 degrees F). A day earlier, Pensacola, FL welcomed the New Year with a third consecutive daily-record high (80 degrees F). The thaw briefly reached heavily snow-covered portions of the North Central States. In North Dakota, Grand Forks' maximum of 40 degrees F on January 2 marked their first above-freezing high since November 8. Despite the warm-up, December snowfall approached record levels in locations such as Duluth, MN (41.7 inches) and Marquette, MI (79.8 inches). Heavy snow returned to the region at week's end, accompanied by windy, colder conditions. On Saturday, snowfall included 10.7 inches in Fargo, ND, 12.8 inches in Aberdeen, SD, 13.5 inches in Duluth, and 16.1 inches in Marquette. Peak wind gusts ranged from 40 to 50 mph across the Dakotas. Cooler air overspread the Nation at week's end, forcing warmth to retreat into the South and East. On Friday, highs rose to 84 degrees F in Wichita Falls, TX and 74 degrees F in Roanoke, VA. A final day of record warmth graced the Midwest at week's end, as highs surged to 65 degrees F in Peoria, IL and 61 degrees F in Jackson, MI. Farther south, Corpus Christi, TX noted 88 degrees F. But as cooler air arrived, showers and thunderstorms dropped about 1 inch of rain on locations such as Indianapolis, IN and Birmingham, AL. Meanwhile, light precipitation and milder air spread into the Northeast, replacing snow and early- to midweek temperatures that dropped to 0 degrees F as far south as southern New England. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12 P.M. ET on January 14, 1997. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-5881 (voice) or (202) 720-7808 (TDD). 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