HDR1012000170100325971200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released March 25, 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. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY March 17 - 23, 1997 HIGHLIGHTS: Winter wheat condition declined slightly as above-normal temperatures and dry conditions persisted for the third consecutive week over the central and southern Great Plains. Warming in the northern Great Plains caused some snowmelt flooding in areas along rivers. In the Northwest, rains brought flooding and mudslides to parts of western Washington. Rain from eastern Texas to Virginia hindered spring field activity. In the Southeast, drier conditions allowed fieldwork to advance on schedule. Damage to the Southeastern States' fruit crops from the previous week's cold weather appeared to be minor. In California, ideal conditions allowed fieldwork to proceed at a normally. National Weather Summary Volume 84, No. 12 March 16 - 22, 1997 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Wet conditions persisted in the Pacific Northwest and from southeastern Texas to the Ohio Valley. In contrast, a spell of warm, very dry weather stretched to 3 weeks from the Southwest to the central and southern Plains, reducing topsoil moisture for vegetative winter wheat. Beneficial showers dampened much of Florida. Only light precipitation fell across deeply snow-covered areas of the upper Midwest and northern Plains, but the snowmelt season commenced, raising river levels. Near-normal temperatures prevailed in the upper Midwest, while readings averaged 5 to 10 degrees F below normal in New England. Despite early-week frost, temperatures averaged a few degrees above normal in the Southeast. Farther west, departures reached +6 to +14 degrees F on the High Plains and Intermountain West, resulting in more than 150 daily-record highs. Early in the week, cold air lingered across the North and East. On Sunday, daily-record lows included 25 degrees F in Wenatchee, WA, -12 degrees F in Green Bay, WI, and -17 degrees F in International Falls, MN. Embarrass, MN registered -30 degrees F, and Yakima, WA recorded a 2-inch snowfall. In the Southeast, temperatures dipped to freezing or below as far south as a northeastern Mississippi-to-northwestern South Carolina line. Later on March 16, the mercury in Spokane, WA attained 50 degrees F for the first time in 127 days (since November 10, 1996), their third-longest span on record. Warmth also spread onto the High Plains, where Pueblo, CO notched a high of 78 degrees F after a low of 16 degrees F. A day later, highs in Kansas reached 86 degrees F in Liberal and 84 degrees F in Ulysses. Gage, OK logged 89 degrees F. Meanwhile, heavy rain fell across southeastern Texas, spreading into the Ohio Valley on Tuesday. On March 16-17, 24-hour rainfall reached 4.49 inches in Victoria, TX, boosting their monthly total to a March-record 10.89 inches. In Louisville, KY, 2.69 inches fell on Tuesday, lifting their March-record precipitation to 16.09 inches. Similarly, March-record rainfall reached 11.90 inches in Lexington, KY. Heavy rain also pelted the Pacific Northwest, especially west of the Cascades on March 18-19. Portland, OR posted consecutive daily-record rainfalls (0.69 and 0.63 inches), boosting their monthly total to 6.60 inches (241 percent of normal). By week's end, monthly rainfall in Astoria, OR reached a March-record 13.78 inches. Significant flooding, mudslides, and avalanches occurred in western Washington. On the southern slopes of the Olympic Mountains, record crests were measured in parts of the Wynoochee, Satsop, and Skokomish River basins. Storm-total (March 16-19) rainfall reached 22.36 inches (10.96 inches in 24 hours) at Wynoochee Dam. Tuesday marked the first of five consecutive daily-record highs in Alta, UT (55, 58, 56, 50, and 53 degrees F). At Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, AZ, a high of 98 degrees F on Thursday fell 1degree shy of their March record, set in 1988. A day earlier, the maximum of 97 degrees F at the Los Angeles Civic Center was their warmest on record during astronomical winter, eclipsing their 1916 record by 1 degree. In Idaho, Boise logged 80 degrees F on March 19, their earliest such occurrence. On the Plains, warmth peaked on March 20-21. On Thursday, highs topped 80 degrees F as far north as Rapid City, SD (81 degrees F). Farther south, maxima included 83 degrees F in North Platte, NE and Goodland, KS. A day later, highs in Texas soared to 94 degrees F in Wichita Falls and 93 degrees F in Lubbock. Nearly 50 percent of the daily-record highs set across the Western and Central States during the week had been established in 1960, 1988, 1990, or 1994-96. Farther north, light snow returned to the Great Lakes and Northeastern States at week's end. Weekly snowfall totaled 3.1 inches in Marquette, MI, lifting their seasonal to 253.4 inches, above the record set in 1995-96. Elsewhere, weekly snowfall included 3.7 inches in Aberdeen, SD, 3.6 inches in Bismarck, ND, 3.4 inches in Glasgow, MT, and 2.9 inches in Burlington, VT. Meanwhile, cold (temperatures up to 10 degrees F below normal), dry weather prevailed in Alaska, and heavy rain peppered Hawaii, except the Big Island. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12 P.M. ET on April 1, 1997. 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