Release December 15, 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. 50 December 6 - 12, 1998 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Cooler air overspread the Nation in the wake of early December's record warmth, helping to cold-harden winter wheat. Unusually mild weather quickly returned, however, to the North Central States, resulting in weekly temperature departures of +5 to +15 degrees F. In contrast, temperatures generally ranged from 3 to 7 degrees F below normal from California to the southern High Plains. Rare snowfall was reported early in the week across the Desert Southwest, and record snow blanketed the southernmost Plains on Friday. The cool, unsettled weather across the Southwest continued to slow late cotton harvesting. Farther east, two rain events unfolded from the southern Ohio Valley and the Delta to the Mid- Atlantic region, easing long-term drought and improving soil moisture for fall-sown crops. Significant rain, locally heavy, also fell in areas from eastern Kansas to eastern Texas. Showery weather continued in the Northwest, further improving soil moisture in major winter wheat areas but maintaining wet conditions west of the Cascades. In the East, approximately 180 additional daily-record highs and 30 monthly records were set or tied from December 6-8. Totals since November 22 climbed to more than 700 daily records and at least 78 monthly records. On Sunday, Chattanooga, TN notched their sixth consecutive daily-record high (71, 74, 75, 76, 77, and 77 degrees F). A day later, Bridgeport, CT registered 76 degrees F. Prior to this year, Bridgeport's December-record high had been 65 degrees F on December 11, 1971. Monthly records were also shattered on December 7 by at least 5 degrees F in Providence, RI (77 degrees F) and Concord, NH (73 degrees F). Highs on Monday topped 70 degrees F as far north as Portland, ME (71 degrees F). On Tuesday, a final flurry of records resulted in December record-tying highs in Wilmington, NC (82 degrees F) and Myrtle Beach, SC (81 degrees F). During the early-week period, nearly a dozen daily-record lows were observed in California. On December 6-7, Redding noted consecutive records (25 and 27 degrees F). On the latter date, Bakersfield registered 28 degrees F, a daily record. Across the Southwest, temperatures dipped as low as 34 degrees F (on Monday) in Phoenix, AZ and 32 degrees F (on Wednesday) in Imperial, CA. The season's first hard freeze arrived on the southernmost Plains on Tuesday, helping to defoliate unharvested cotton. On Wednesday, brief "Santa Ana" conditions across southern California produced wind gusts to 69 mph in Ontario. Farther north and east, temperatures remained above normal despite the cool-down. Through December 12 in Wisconsin, Madison's month-to-date temperatures averaged 17 degrees F above normal, and LaCrosse's streak of above-normal temperatures reached 21 days. Oklahoma City, OK received their first autumn freeze on December 8, breaking a record that had stood since November 30, 1934. Through week's end, autumn freezes had not yet occurred in locations such as New York's Central Park (breaking a December 11, 1948, record), Little Rock, AR (formerly December 11, 1994), and Atlanta, GA (also December 11, 1994). On Sunday, 1.0 inch of snow whitened Las Vegas, NV, while a trace fell in Phoenix. The only other time at least an inch accumulated in Las Vegas during December was on the 15th in 1967, when 2 inches fell. Snow was last observed in Phoenix on February 4, 1994. Later in the week, 9.8 inches buried Midland, TX on Friday, breaking their snowfall records for any 24-hour period (6.8 inches on January 23-24, 1974), single storm (7.0 inches), and month (9.0 inches in January 1985). In contrast, season-to-date snowfall (through December 12) in New York was the lowest on record in Rochester (0.1 inch) and Buffalo (0.2 inch). The season's first accumulation (0.2 inch) occurred in Syracuse, NY on December 11, breaking their record for We 1 (12-98) latest measurable snowfall, set on December 1, 1966. Records for the latest first trace of snow have already been established at locations such as Indianapolis, IN (December 7, 1994), Detroit, MI (November 30, 1918 and 1963), Cincinnati, OH (December 9, 1994), and Dayton, OH (December 10, 1994). On Lake Erie at Buffalo, the water temperature stood at 49 degrees F on December 9, 8 degrees F above normal and the highest on record for the date. Just last winter, the lake failed to freeze over for only the third time on record. Rain twice spread eastward across the Southeastern States, totaling 2 to 6 inches (with locally higher amounts in the lower Mississippi Valley), significantly improving soil moisture from the Delta to the southern Middle Atlantic States. December 1-13 rainfall rose to 5.53 inches (271 percent of normal) in Nashville, TN, 4.64 inches (377 percent) in College Station, TX, 4.00 inches (221 percent) in Shreveport, LA, and 3.45 inches (256 percent) in Richmond, VA. In Nashville, the December total surpassed their rainfall (4.28 inches) during the entire meteorological autumn (September-November). National Agricultural Summary December 7 - 13, 1998 Highlights: Winter wheat growth ended in the Great Plains and Corn Belt as temperatures fell to more seasonable levels. Across the northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley, winter kill was not an immediate threat, as temperatures remained well above normal. Seeding of small grains and winter forages continued in California, but were hampered by wet soils in many areas. Cool, cloudy weather slowed growth of emerging crops in the San Joaquin Valley, while wheat fields in the Sacramento Valley were growing well with additional moisture. Poor drying conditions hampered cotton harvesting in the Central Valley, and the lint quality was declining in unharvested fields. Vegetable harvest activity was slowed by frost, but fruit and nut harvest was active. Cold overnight temperatures did little or no damage to fruit crops. In Texas, small grain growth was slowed in the Plains by freezing temperatures and snow. Cotton growth ended following the hard freeze and final harvest, temporarily halted by snow, resumed late in the week. Grain sorghum and peanut harvests were nearly complete by the end of the week in the Plains. In South Central Texas, the final peanut harvest was hampered by wet fields. Hot, dry weather continued to delay small grain emergence in the Southeast, where soil moisture was becoming increasingly short. However, the dry weather allowed vegetable planting and harvesting activities to proceed on schedule in Florida. Picking quality and color were good and growth of recently planted vegetable crops was normal. The next "Weekly Weather & Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on December 22, 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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