HDR1012000170101230971200CROP WEATHER AND WEEKLY BULLETIN Crop Weather and Weekly Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 30, 1997, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Crop Weather and Weekly Bulletin" call Rhonda Brandt at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 84, No. 52 December 21 - 27, 1997 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Wetness across the Southeast, into its 11th week, intensified due to a three-storm barrage across the Nation's southern tier. The storms also dumped heavy snowfall from the Southwest to the Northeast. On the northern Plains, however, a 2 1/2-month dry spell persisted, accompanied by temperatures averaging up to 20 degrees F above normal. In contrast, very cold weather gripped areas along and near the Continental Divide, where weekly readings were as much as 12 degrees F below normal. Farther west, lows dipped to freezing or below in California's San Joaquin Valley and in the vicinity of Phoenix, AZ. Early in the week, snow accumulated across parts of the Southwest as the first storm traversed the region. In southern California, above 6,000 feet, snow depths by Sunday afternoon reached 6 inches at Big Bear Lake and on Mt. Laguna. After additional heavy snowfall with the second storm's passage, December 25 depths stood at 48 inches at Hannagan Meadow, AZ and 33 inches in Cloudcroft, NM. Heavy snow also fell on the central and southern Plains, boosting midweek snow depths to 10 inches in the Oklahoma Panhandle at Boise City and Guymon, and 11 inches in Dalhart, TX. On December 23-24, Dodge City, KS netted 11.4 inches of snow, a 24-hour December record. In Texas, Amarillo's depth of 5 inches on December 25 was their greatest on that date since 1939. In Tucson, AZ, monthly rainfall reached 2.88 inches by week's end, their 8th highest December total on record. Rains in Florida further padded December- record totals in Jacksonville (9.70 inches), Tampa (15.38 inches), and Orlando (12.58 inches). By December 27, year-to-date precipitation reached the second- highest level on record in Shreveport, LA (69.20 inches) and third-highest total in Tampa (67.52 inches). During the week, rainfall topped 4 inches in parts of central Florida, and in many areas from eastern Louisiana to the Carolinas. Orlando posted a daily-record rainfall (3.25 inches) on Saturday. Several tornadoes swept across the Southeast on Wednesday and again on Friday night (early December 27), resulting in scattered damage in Alabama and Florida. Farther north, the week's first storm produced very heavy snowfall on December 22-23 in parts of New England, including 23.5 inches in Dracut, MA and 20.5 inches in Nashua, NH. Additional snow fell in interior New England on December 25 and in parts of the East on December 27. Farther west, colder air spilled into the Midwest. On Saturday, a low of 9 degrees F in Moline, IL was the first sub-10 degree reading of the season. Also on December 27, a 34-day dry spell ended in Glasgow, MT, but precipitation amounted to only 0.01 inches. On December 25, Glasgow's high reached 40 degrees F, in sharp contrast to last year's high of -18 degrees F (and low of -36 degrees F). Other comparisons to last year on December 25 include the 2-inch snow depth in Duluth, MN (26 inches last year), and the month-to-date temperature departure of +8.7 degrees F in Huron, SD (-7.4 degrees F last year). In Rochester, MN, temperatures averaged below normal on 23 of November's 30 days, but above normal on 26 of December's first 27 days. At week's end, a high-pressure system over the interior West induced chinook winds on the northern Plains and Santa Ana winds across southern California. In Montana, winds gusts in Livingston reached 76 mph on Saturday. The high also delivered cold weather to parts of the West. Daily-record lows were reported in Eureka, CA (30 degrees F on Thursday) and Alamosa, CO (-23 degrees F on Friday). Meanwhile, Miami, FL ended the week with consecutive daily-record highs (83 and 84 degrees F). We 1 (12-97)