HDR1012000170100211971200WEEKLY WEATHER AND CROP BULLETIN National Weather Summary Volume 84, No. 6 February 2 - 8, 1997 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: At midweek, a compact storm system dropped the heaviest precipitation since late November on the central and southern Plains. The storm progressed eastward by week's end, delivering the season's most significant snowfall to much of the Middle Atlantic region. Earlier in the week, a more powerful storm dumped heavy snow in the upper Midwest and brought a 1- to 3-inch rainfall and minor flooding to the Ohio Valley. Both storms produced significant rain in the central Gulf Coast States. Only light precipitation fell along the West Coast. Arctic air was confined to eastern Canada during the week, allowing temperatures to soar 3 to 10 degrees F above normal in the East and across the winter-weary North Central States. A Pacific-modified high-pressure system dominated areas farther to the west, holding temperatures below normal along and near the Rocky Divide. In advance of a storm developing over the Plains, Paducah, KY notched a daily- record high of 66 degrees F on Sunday. Meanwhile in Des Moines, IA, 4.2 inches of snow fell en route to a 2-day total of 9.4 inches. In eastern South Dakota, totals of 10.9 inches in Sioux Falls and 6.9 inches in Aberdeen padded an already significant snowpack. By midweek, the storm swept northeastward, leaving only Ft. Myers, FL (87 degrees F on Tuesday) and Charleston, SC (77 degrees F on Wednesday) with daily-record warmth. Farther north, storm- total snowfall reached 8.8 inches in Caribou, ME and 8.2 inches in Concord, NH. In many cases, midweek precipitation totals on the central and southern Plains easily surpassed totals received during all of December and January. In Texas, 1.59 inches of the 1.68-inch total since December 1 fell on February 5-6. Similarly, weekly totals of 0.44 inches in both Concordia, KS and North Platte, NE represented more than 85 percent of the precipitation observed in the past 70 days. On the central Plains, snowfall during the storm totaled 6.4 inches in North Platte, 3.3 inches in Dodge City, KS, and 2.3 inches in Wichita, KS. The late-week snowstorm produced 3.1 inches in Washington, DC and 3.3 inches in Philadelphia, PA, more than doubling season-to-date totals. Farther south, the system boosted weekly rainfall to more than 2 inches in locations such as Little Rock, AR, Lexington, KY, and Monroe, LA. Memphis, TN received 3.99 inches. At week's end, daily-record warmth returned to Florida, where Melbourne registered 85 degrees F. Cold Bay, AK (41 degrees F) also posted a daily-record high on February 8, capping a week during which Alaskan temperatures ranged from 5 to 24 degrees F above normal. National Agriculatural Summary February 3-9, 1997 Highlights: Beneficial precipitation was received over a portion of the Great Plains from central Texas to Nebraska. The storm provided moisture and snow cover to the central plains and much-needed moisture elsewhere. The country experienced above-normal temperatures except for the West Coast and Rocky Mountain States. The moderating temperatures were welcomed by producers in the Dakotas, Great Lakes States, and Northeast, where they continue to dig-out from earlier snows and to care for livestock that have been under considerable stress. In Florida, the early and mid orange harvest is winding down. Temple and honey tangerine harvests are increasing. Warm and mostly dry weather permitted field operations to stay on schedule. In California, field activities gradually resumed in most areas as drier conditions prevailed. Some flooded small grain and alfalfa fields will be reseeded to other crops.