Released January 13, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Rhonda Brandt (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Agricultural Summary January 5 - 11, 1998 Highlights: Storms brought rain and snow to an area extending from Texas to the Great Lakes and eastward. A severe ice storm in New York and the New England States halted farming activities across the region and stressed livestock. Very mild temperatures reduced the effects of the storms in most other Eastern areas. Wet, muddy fields in Florida slowed vegetable fieldwork. Despite warm, wet, windy conditions, citrus harvest was active. Heavy rainfall caused localized flooding in several Southeastern States. In Texas, field activity was limited due to saturated fields. Small grain fields in the high Plains received plenty of beneficial snow and rainfall, but sunshine was needed to promote growth. Cool, wet weather hindered late cotton harvest in Oklahoma. The Plains and Intermoutain Region were generally dry, especially the northern Plains, which has remained dry for over 3 months. Bitterly cold air edged down Montana and North Dakota, but there was no indication of damage to the winter wheat crop. Field activities resumed in some areas of California early in the week, but were halted again by rains at week's end. National Weather Summary Volume 85, No. 2 January 4 - 10, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: A large, slow-moving, moisture-rich storm produced an expansive area of precipitation in excess of 2 inches, from eastern Texas to western Florida, northeastward to Lower Michigan and Maine. A severe ice storm struck northern New York and northern New England, as rain fell through cold air entrenched at ground level. Snow fell on the storm's western fringe, from northeastern Texas to the Great Lakes region. Meanwhile, Arctic air tightened its grip on the northern Plains, holding weekly temperatures as much as 15 degrees F below normal. At week's end, very cold air spread westward into the Pacific Northwest, setting the stage for snow and ice accumulations. Elsewhere in the West, rain and mountain snow arrived late in the week. From January 4-9, nearly six dozen daily-record highs were established in the eastern third of the Nation, boosting weekly temperatures 7 to 27 degrees F above normal. On Thursday, the high in Binghamton, NY reached 63 degrees F, tying their monthly record set on January 25, 1967. More impressively, low temperatures remained at their highest January levels on record in Lansing, MI (48 degrees F on Monday), Tampa, FL (70 degrees F on Monday), and Philadelphia, PA (60 degrees F on Thursday). In Indiana, Indianapolis' temperature remained above 50 degrees F for 3 days (January 4-6), their third such January occurrence (January 2-4, 1997, and January 6-8, 1880). On January 8 in Virginia, lows of 65 degrees F at Dulles Airport and 59 degrees F in Blacksburg were higher than high-temperature records for the date (61 degrees F and 58 degrees F, respectively). Highs on Thursday reached 70 degrees F as far north as Newark, NJ. Farther north, a catastrophic ice storm struck areas from northern New York to central and southern Maine, and adjacent areas of southeastern Canada. In some areas, ice accumulated on parts of 6 days (January 4-9), with the heaviest rain occurring on January 7-8. Representative ice accumulations reached 2 to 3 inches in the St. Lawrence and northern Champlain Valleys, with similar totals observed across northern New Hampshire and Maine. According to media reports, as many as 350,000 American homes lost electricity. Specific storm-total precipitation in northern Vermont reached 6.25 inches on Jay Peak, 5.28 inches on Mt. Mansfield, and 4.20 inches in Colchester. In northern New York, Malone netted 4.16 inches. Locations in and near the freezing-rain zone also had to contend with flooding, as precipitation approached or exceeded January-record rates. Both Buffalo, NY (2.31 inches on January 7-8) and Burlington, VT (2.11 inches on January 8) posted 24-hour rainfall records for January. On Friday, a flow record of 11,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) was set on the Hudson River near Newcomb, NY, breaking the January 1949 record by 3,600 cfs. Records were also set along parts of New York's Black River (Lake Ontario drainage area). Farther south, storm-total rainfall topped 4 inches in many areas from the Arklatex region and the Delta to the central and southern Appalachians. Resultant flooding left 10 people dead in the Southeast, according to media reports. In western North Carolina, January 8 rainfall exceeded 13 inches in parts of Jackson County, and storm-total precipitation topped 15 inches in a few locations. Elsewhere, daily-record rainfall totals occurred in locations such as Oklahoma City, OK (2.02 inches on Sunday), Lansing, MI (0.99 inch on Monday), Lufkin, TX (5.63 inches on Tuesday), and Huntsville, AL (3.55 inches on Wednesday). Heavy rain returned to central Florida on Thursday, where daily-record totals were established in Daytona Beach (1.52 inches) and Melbourne (1.21 inches). Snowfall on the storm's western fringe boosted month-to-date totals to 12.6 inches in Milwaukee, WI, 4.3 inches in Springfield, MO, and 3.0 inches in Tulsa, OK. Cold air and moisture spread into the Northwest at week's end. By early Sunday morning (January 11), Spokane, WA reported a low of 2 degrees F, while snow depths reached 2 inches in Wenatchee, WA and Pendleton, OR. Farther south, rainfall topped 2 inches in some locations from western Oregon into northern California, and along the central and southern California coast. Meanwhile, cold air also spread slowly southeastward across the North Central States. On Saturday, the minimum of 4 degrees F in Des Moines, IA was their lowest since February 15, 1997. Meanwhile in Marquette, MI, the low dipped to -2 degrees F, their first sub-zero reading of the winter and latest on record (formerly January 3, 1995). In Glasgow, MT, where the latest first sub-zero reading on record occurred on January 2, lows averaged -9 degrees F for the week, including -27 degrees F on Saturday. Near the core of the Arctic air, weekly temperatures averaged as much as 17 degrees F below normal in interior Alaska. On Sunday, Fairbanks' high of -42 degrees F was their lowest since January 23, 1993. A day later, Tanacross reported a low of -63 degrees F. Later in the week, heavy rain belted southern Alaska. In Kodiak, 6.58 inches fell on January 9-10, including a single-day, January-record total of 4.79 inches on Friday. Wet weather also prevailed in Puerto Rico, where San Juan's January 1-10 total reached 6.99 inches, in sharp contrast to their December total of 1.02 inches, second lowest on record. Note: US level crop conditions are weighted averages based on 1997 planted acres for the selected states. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12 p.m. ET on January 21, 1998. 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's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or 202-720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then Reports by Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Send an e-mail message to: usda-reports@usda.mannlib.cornell.edu. In the body of the message type the word: list. AUTOFAX ACCESS NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine. Please call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax. Respond to the voice prompts. Document 0411 is a list of available reports. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-834-0125 FAX: 703-834-0110 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov.