Released March 3, 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 February 23 - March 2, 1998 Highlights: Most of the Eastern United States, from the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast, continued to experience above-normal temperatures, especially the northern Corn Belt. A blizzard struck the northern High Plains, bringing a sudden return of winter to an area that had been experiencing very mild weather. Despite the extreme weather change, no damage to the winter wheat crop was reported. There were no early reports of storm-related livestock losses, but heavy snowfall combined with high winds closed roads, isolating many herds from ranchers and making feeding chores difficult. Mild temperatures aided winter wheat development in the southern Plains. In the Coastal Bend region of Texas, some corn and cotton fields were planted on well-drained soils. Early-planted corn fields were emerged with good stands reported. Storms that had been hitting southern California subsided, allowing flooded fields to begin draining, but progress of field activities remained slow due to wet soils. Flood-stressed plants showed signs of recovery. Rice growers began draining fields in preparation for planting and where conditions permitted, cotton fields were sprayed and prepared for planting. The Gulf and Atlantic Coast States continued to be very wet. Early-week severe storms in northern and central Florida slowed fieldwork and stressed livestock, but no crop damage was reported. National Weather Summary Volume 85, No. 9 February 22 - 28, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: A major weather-pattern change allowed California to dry out after an early-week deluge, but led to the development of blizzard conditions on parts of the northern Plains. In the Southeast, another major low-pressure system sparked a tornado outbreak in central Florida on the night of February 22-23, leaving 38 people dead, and soaked the Gulf and Atlantic Coast States with a 1- to 5-inch rainfall. Heavy snow fell farther inland. Late in the week, the storm responsible for the blizzard also produced showers and thunderstorms from eastern Texas to the western Great Lakes States. Much colder air settled into the West during the week, resulting in temperatures as much as 7 degrees F below normal. Farther east, mild weather prevailed for the sixth consecutive week from the Midwest into the Northeast, as temperatures averaged 8 to 22 degrees F above normal. The system in the South and East, the latest in a 20-week series of storms, traveled from near the Mississippi Delta on Sunday to the New England Coast by midweek. The storm padded February-record rainfall totals in Wilmington, NC (11.22 inches), Norfolk, VA (8.21 inches), and Roanoke, VA (8.00 inches). Farther inland, snowfall reached 18 inches in northeastern Pennsylvania and 12 inches in Vermont. In New York, February 24 totals included 18.5 inches in Binghamton and 13.0 inches in Syracuse, and storm-total snowfall reached 30 inches in Broome County. February 24 wind gusts were clocked to 63 mph in Milton, MA (Blue Hill Observatory) and 72 mph on Maine's Matinicus Rock. To the south, nearly a dozen tornadoes swept across central Florida on Sunday night, becoming the State's deadliest outbreak. Previously, 17 died in Santa Rosa County during the outbreak of March 31, 1962. The storm also boosted monthly record totals in Florida to 10.82 inches in Tampa and 11.12 inches in Jacksonville. Tampa's winter (December-February) precipitation was 31.03 inches, more than double the former record (14.86 inches in 1936-37), and 430 percent of normal. On Tuesday, highs briefly surged into the 70's and lower 80's across the central and southern High Plains, including 77 degrees F in Lamar, CO and 81 degrees F in Midland, TX. Farther north, more than a dozen daily-record highs were set across the Great Lakes States and Northeast. On Thursday, highs reached 63 degrees F in Chicago, IL and 68 degrees F in Indianapolis, IN. Two days later, records were tied or broken in locations such as Flint, MI (56 degrees F) and St. Johnsbury, VT (54 degrees F). In Omaha, NE, temperatures remained above freezing for 10 consecutive days (February 14-23), breaking their February record of 8 days, set in 1930. Similarly, readings remained above 32 degrees F for 12 days in a row (February 15-26) in Des Moines, IA, besting their previous February record of 5 days, set in 1983, 1981, and 1915. In Wisconsin, above-normal temperatures prevailed on 84 of the winter's 90 days in LaCrosse, while the winter ended with 45 consecutive days of above-normal readings in Milwaukee. Farther west, Medford, OR had a single freeze during the month, breaking their February record of 3 days, set in 1958. The last in a month-long series of storms struck California early in the week, causing additional flooding and mudslides. In the south, 24-hour rainfall rates on Mt. Wilson reached 10.12 inches on February 22-23. On the San Dieguito River, water flow over the Lake Hodges Dam crested at 18.64 inches above the spillway on February 24. Despite a few dry days at month's end, season-to-date rainfall through March 1 stood at 160 to 250 percent of normal at the major reporting stations. Downtown San Francisco netted 38.48 inches from July 1, 1997, to February 28, 1998, their highest seasonal total this century. The previous highest was 38.17 inches in 1982-83. In the Sierra Nevada, water content of the snowpack stood at 40 inches (165 percent of normal) on March 1, up from 20 inches (107 percent) at the end of January and 9 inches (74 percent) on January 1, 1998. As the storm moved inland, heavy precipitation fell in the Southwest. In Tucson, AZ, monthly rainfall increased to 3.20 inches, their second-highest February total. In Nevada, Las Vegas' monthly total rose to 2.89 inches, surpassing their February record of 2.52 inches, set in 1993. During a 48-hour period on February 24-26, 48.5 inches of snow fell in Alta, UT. Salt Lake City, UT experienced its fourth-greatest storm-total snowfall (19.4 inches on February 24-25). Across a sliver of the North Central States, meanwhile, blizzard conditions developed on Wednesday, continuing through week's end. The low-pressure system deepened to 28.85 inches (977 millibars) near the Nebraska-South Dakota border on February 25. The same day, winds gusted to 74 mph in Sidney, NE and at Ellsworth A.F.B., near Rapid City, SD. Wind chills dipped as low as -15 to -30 degrees F in the western Dakotas, northwestern Nebraska, eastern Wyoming, and eastern Montana. By Sunday, March 1, storm-total snowfall in western South Dakota reached 84 inches in Galena and 68 inches near Lead, with drifts estimated at 12 feet. In North Dakota, Minot had 25 inches on the ground. 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 March 10, 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. 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