Released January 27, 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 19 - 25, 1998 Highlights: Mild temperatures prevailed nationwide as heavy rains continued to fall in the Southeast and along the Pacific Coast. Parts of Louisiana and North Carolina have already received record January precipitation. In Florida, early and mid-season orange harvests were very active for processing despite wet, cool weather in the citrus areas. More snow and ice in New England hampered agricultural activities and stressed livestock, especially dairy herds. Farmers are concerned that storms have damaged maple and fruit trees, but will not know the extent of the damage until spring. Many Corn Belt States also received snow. Light snow fell in Montana, but the rest of the northern and central Plains remained generally dry as it has for over 3 months. Mild weather, along with recent rains, in the southern Plains aided growth and development of the winter wheat crop and left most fields in good condition at week's end. In California, field activities resumed on drier soils. However, because of earlier rains, most areas were still too wet for heavy equipment. Cotton fields were prepared for planting where conditions permitted. Wet weather in orchards and vineyards hampered pruning, vine tying, and dormant spraying. National Weather Summary Volume 85, No. 4 January 18 - 24, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Similar to last week's pattern, several storms delivered significant precipitation to the Northwest, then crossed the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast States, padding already impressive monthly rain- and snowfall totals. Meanwhile, the gradual disappearance of Arctic air ensured above-normal temperatures nearly nationwide. In the upper Midwest, however, departures of +2 to +13 degrees F were accompanied by several days of light snow. In the Northeast, where temperatures averaged 4 to 7 degrees F above normal, snow and ice hampered clean-up efforts from the early-month ice storm. Temperature departures in the Northwest generally ranged from +4 to +12 degrees F. On Sunday, Salt Lake City, UT notched a second consecutive daily-record high (56 and 54 degrees F). Daily records were also reported in Bakersfield, CA (75 degrees F) and Boise, ID (57 degrees F). Meanwhile, a moisture-laden storm reached the West Coast. Unsettled weather continued across the Northwest for much of the week, followed by another strong system at week's end. On Saturday morning, wind gusts along the Oregon Coast reached 79 mph on Cape Blanco and 51 mph in Florence. Although the storms produced less precipitation than last week's systems, they boosted month-to-date rainfall (through January 25) to 15.32 inches in Astoria, OR (187 percent [%] of normal), 11.24 inches (232%) in Eureka, CA, and 8.80 inches (181%) in Salem, OR. An early-week storm also affected the East Coast, dropping light rain in many areas but dumping heavy snow on eastern Maine. By Tuesday, storm-total snowfall reached 10.5 inches in Ellsworth and 7.0 inches in Bangor. Two days earlier, the season's first measurable snow (0.5 inch) had fallen in New York's Central Park, only 11 days before their latest first snow on record, set on January 29, 1973. The first West Coast storm reached the Southeast at midweek, depositing a daily-record rainfall (2.59 inches) in Jackson, MS. By Friday, daily-rainfall records were set up and down the Eastern Seaboard, from Melbourne, FL (2.97 inches) to Bridgeport, CT (2.48 inches), and at nearly a dozen locations in between. In South Carolina, Charleston's total of 3.27 inches on Friday approached their single-day record for the month (3.90 inches on January 12, 1993). During the storm's passage, January precipitation records were broken in Baton Rouge, LA (14.00 inches), Asheville, NC (8.20 inches), and Burlington, VT (5.08 inches). In Louisiana, New Orleans' month-to-date total of 18.04 inches was approaching their January record of 19.25 inches, set in 1991. Farther north, snow and ice affected the Northeast. Boston, MA netted 2.19 inches of liquid in 24 hours on January 23-24, including 2.2 inches of snow and sleet. In northern New England, snowfall totaled 11 inches in Bethel, VT, 10 inches in Gorham, NH, and 7 inches in Gray, ME. Nearly a foot (11.8 inches) fell in Peru, NY. The storm boosted month-to-date snowfall to 24.1 inches in Burlington, VT and 33.3 inches in Caribou, ME. Meanwhile, persistent light snow continued across the upper Midwest and Great Lakes States. Through January 25, month-to-date snowfall reached 24.9 inches in Eau Claire, WI, 23.1 inches in Milwaukee, WI, 19.0 inches in Grand Rapids, MI, and 11.7 inches in Sioux Falls, SD. Mostly dry, mild weather prevailed in Alaska (temperature departures ranged from -5 to +8 degrees F) and Hawaii (up to +3 degrees F). Daily-record highs were set on Annette Island, AK (50 degrees F on Saturday) and in Hilo, HI (86 degrees F on Thursday). 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 February 3, 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. 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