Release February 2, 1999 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 86, No. 5 January 24 - 30, 1999 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: For most of the week, precipitation shifted southward along the West Coast, improving soil moisture and mountain snow pack in California and the Southwest. Wet weather returned to the Pacific Northwest toward week's end, however, maintaining unfavorably wet conditions west of the Cascades. Much-needed dry weather returned to the eastern Corn Belt and Ohio Valley, allowing moisture to drain from wet fields and flooded lowlands. Farther south, a major late-week storm delivered much-needed precipitation (rain, freezing rain, and locally heavy snow) to hard red winter wheat areas of the central and southern Plains, but stressed livestock and disrupted transportation. Excessive rainfall (generally 4 to 8 inches) soaked areas from eastern Texas to central Alabama, leaving standing water in winter grain fields. Despite the late-week storm, temperatures averaged above normal east of the Rockies. Departures ranged from +5 to +15 degrees F throughout the Midwestern and Southeastern States. In contrast, colder weather overspread the West, where temperatures averaged as much as 7 degrees F below normal in California. On Sunday, rain ended along the East Coast, while precipitation overspread central and southern California. Before cooler, drier air arrived, highs reached daily-record levels in locations such as Boston, MA (62 degrees F) and Portland, ME (53 degrees F). In California, the Sierra Nevada snow pack's water equivalent grew to 17 inches (89 percent of normal) by the end of January, up from 9 inches (59 percent) at mid-month. In the San Joaquin Valley at Bakersfield, CA, daily-record precipitation fell on Sunday (1.37 inches) and Monday (1.42 inches), accounting for 49 percent of their normal annual total. In addition, 3.0 inches of snow blanketed Bakersfield on January 25, their first measurable amount since March 8, 1974, and greatest single-day total on record. Warmth spread eastward in advance of the Western storminess, setting about three dozen daily-record highs. On Monday, El Paso, TX posted a high of 77 degrees F, just 4 days before rain and snow fell on the city. Nearly half of the daily records were established on Wednesday, when Montgomery, AL noted 79 degrees F and Asheville, NC notched a January-record high of 80 degrees F. In contrast, Safford, AZ lodged a record-tying low of 21 degrees F, just 2 days after a daily-record high (79 degrees F on Monday). At week's end, stormy weather returned to the Pacific Northwest, preceded by unusual warmth across the Nation's northern tier. Locations such as The Dalles, OR (64 degrees F on Friday) and International Falls, MN (43 degrees F on Saturday) logged daily-record highs. Across the Pacific Northwest, the late-month return of rainfall boosted monthly totals in western Oregon to 13.86 inches (139 percent of normal) in Astoria and 9.61 inches (162 percent) in Salem. Four-month (October-January) rainfall reached 56.85 inches (156 percent of normal) in Astoria and 30.91 inches (152 percent) in Seattle, WA. Farther east, rainfall reached daily-record levels on consecutive days (January 28-29) in the Arklatex region, totaling 7.83 inches in Shreveport, LA, 4.65 inches in El Dorado, AR, and 3.45 inches in Tyler, TX. Shreveport's monthly precipitation reached 12.96 inches, breaking their January record of 12.11 inches, set in 1885. We 1 (2-99) On the central and southern Plains, January 28-30 snowfall included 10.2 inches in Amarillo, TX, 7.5 inches in Dodge City, KS, and 3.7 inches in Lubbock, TX. In Amarillo, storm-total precipitation reached 2.33 inches, resulting in their wettest January on record (2.67 inches, eclipsing a 1939 standard). Meanwhile, little or no additional snow fell across the eastern Great Lakes region, where January snowfall records were broken in Grand Rapids, MI (46.8 inches) and Youngstown, OH. Nevertheless, rivers continued to run very high in the region as crests moved from tributaries into the mainstem flow. In western Indiana, early-week crests on the Wabash River were the highest since April 1994 at Lafayette (about 11 feet above flood stage) and Covington (slightly more than 10 feet above flood stage). Farther east, widespread snow fell after midweek across the Northeast, totaling 5.8 inches in Manchester, NH and 9.0 inches in Newburyport, MA. Bitterly cold weather returned to Alaska, holding weekly temperatures as much as 25 degrees F below normal in western and interior sections of the State. On Thursday, Chandalar Lake, located about 35 miles east of the Dalton Highway in the Brooks Range, reported a low of -71 degrees F. National Agricultural Summary January 25 - 31, 1999 Highlights: Winter wheat in the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast was aided by unseasonably warm weather. Most wheat areas from the southern Great Plains eastward into the Southeast received beneficial rain. However, locally heavy rainfall caused low-land flooding and hillside erosion in parts of the lower Mississippi Valley. In the southern High Plains, precipitation came in the form of snow and freezing rain. The central and northern Great Plains and most of the Corn Belt remained warm and dry. In California, field activities were hampered by rain and snow, while below-normal temperatures hindered crop development. In the Pacific Northwest, rainy conditions persisted along the coast. Interior areas, extending from the Cascades to the central Rocky Mountains, experienced below- normal temperatures and received additional snow. Atlantic Coast States experienced above-normal temperatures, with additional light showers from the mid- Atlantic coast northward into New England. In Florida, citrus growers irrigated orchards to maintain tree and fruit conditions. Vegetable development and quality benefited from warm, dry weather, which also aided citrus, vegetable, and sugarcane harvest activities. Sugarcane planting was also active. The next "Weekly Weather & Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on February 9, 1999. 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). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and 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.