Release December 8, 1998 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agricultural. For information on "Weekly Weather & Crop Bulletin" call Mark E. Miller at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 85, No. 49 November 29 - December 5, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Exceptionally mild weather prevailed from the Rockies eastward, promoting final summer crop harvesting and spurring winter wheat growth. Weekly temperature departures ranged from +8 to +22 degrees F on the Plains and +18 to +26 degrees F across the Corn Belt. Nearly three dozen locations, mostly in the Midwest and East, reported December-record high temperatures. In contrast, sharply colder air arrived across the West, overspreading the Plains by week's end. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 3 degrees F below normal in northern California, and late-week readings approached the freezing mark as far south as southern Arizona and California's San Joaquin Valley. Preceding the arrival of colder air, heavy precipitation continued along the West Coast as far south as central California. Meanwhile, snow fell across portions of Montana late in the week, helping to insulate the winter wheat crop. Farther south, showers dampened areas from the southern Plains to southeastern Kansas prior to the onset of cooler conditions. While the moisture benefited winter wheat, it briefly delayed final cotton harvesting on the High Plains. Dry weather persisted, however, from the Mid-Atlantic region into the Southeast, allowing drought to intensify and further reducing soil moisture for fall-sown crops. Nearly 400 daily-record highs were established during the week, boosting the November 22 - December 5 total to more than 500. On Sunday, low temperatures of 57 degrees F in LaCrosse, WI and 54 degrees F in Rochester, MN were higher than previous daily-record highs. Five days later, lows of 59 degrees F in both Moline, IL and Pittsburgh, PA were the highest on record during December. During the first 5 days of December, monthly record highs were set or tied in various locations from Pierre, SD (77 degrees F on Tuesday) to Salisbury, MD (76 degrees F on Saturday). Highs of 68 degrees F (on December 1) in Minneapolis, MN and 72 degrees F (on December 4) in Bridgeport, CT shattered former December records by 5 degrees F or more. In Chicago, IL, temperatures remained above freezing on 15 consecutive days (November 22 to December 6). East of the Rockies, only parts of the Plains received significant precipitation. Rainfall twice overspread portions of the central and southern Plains, resulting in 1- to 4-inch weekly totals from southeastern Kansas to northeastern Texas. Daily-record rainfall totals were observed in Oklahoma City, OK (0.80 inch on Sunday) and Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX (1.48 inches on Thursday). Farther north, snow overspread areas from the Great Basin to the northern Plains toward week's end. In Montana, Butte netted 13.1 inches on December 3-4. Late-week snowfall totaled 6.4 inches in Elko, NV, 5.2 inches in Billings, MT, and 4.5 inches in Pocatello, ID. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and mountain snows gradually ended across the West Coast States. Nevertheless, month-to-date rainfall reached 4.45 inches in Astoria, OR and 3.21 inches in Eureka, CA. On Friday, lows in California's Sacramento Valley plunged to daily-record levels in Redding (28 degrees F) and Red Bluff (29 degrees F). We 1 (12-98) National Agricultural Summary November 30 - December 6, 1998 Highlights: Temperatures continued to average well above normal east of the Rocky Mountains, stimulating winter wheat development in parts of the central and southern Plains, southern and eastern Corn Belt, Southeast, and lower Mississippi Delta. In the southern High Plains, winter wheat also got a boost from scattered light showers. Wheat areas in the northern Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest also received beneficial rains. Dry conditions continued to assist late-season harvest efforts and fall tillage operations in most of the Corn Belt, Southeast, and middle Atlantic Coastal Plains. Warm, dry weather relieved muddy field conditions and allowed harvest activities to resume in parts of the northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley. In parts of the southern and central Great Plains, from eastern Texas to eastern Kansas, fieldwork was halted by heavy rains. Fieldwork was also halted in most parts of the Pacific Northwest, as heavy rains continued to deluge coastal areas from northern California to the Canadian border. The next "Weekly Weather & Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on December 15, 1998. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 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). 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