We 1 (12-99) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 14, 1999, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and 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. 50 December 5 - 11, 1999 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: For the second consecutive week, significant precipitation boosted soil moisture in key winter wheat areas from Texas' northern panhandle to the Ohio Valley. Portions of eastern Oklahoma and eastern Kansas received a third consecutive week of beneficial precipitation. Meanwhile, unfavorably dry weather persisted from western Kansas northward, although recent cool weather pushed winter wheat into dormancy in these areas. Farther west, heavy precipitation maintained a 7-week wet spell in and west of the Cascades, while light precipitation delivered additional drought relief to portions of the interior Northwest. Mostly dry weather persisted in the Southwest, but the coldest air of the season produced near-freezing temperatures as far south as California's San Joaquin Valley and southeastern Arizona. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 4 degrees F below normal in the Southwest, but were above normal elsewhere. Unusually mild weather prevailed across the North, where temperatures ranged from 6 to 12 degrees F above normal in the Great Lakes States and 8 to 18 degrees F above normal in New England. Early in the week, record warmth lingered in the East, while colder air overspread the remainder of the Nation. On Sunday, daily-record highs included 68 degrees F in Rochester, NY and 65 degrees F in Newark, NJ. A day later, Austin (Bergstrom), TX notched a daily-record low of 19 degrees F. Also on December 6, Little Rock, AR noted their first freeze of the season, more than 3 weeks later than normal. Little Rock's only later first freezes occurred on December 21, 1998, and December 11, 1994. Meanwhile in Kansas, Wichita's 7.5-inch snowfall was followed by a low of 13 degrees F on Monday, their lowest reading since January 13. Farther north, Sioux Falls, SD posted above-freezing maximum temperatures on every day during the week, as they have experienced throughout the autumn. Their record for latest first date of a sub-freezing high temperatures was set on December 20, 1939. Minneapolis, MN tallied records for their latest maximum temperature at or below freezing (formerly December 9, 1830) and latest minimum temperature below 20 degrees F (formerly December 3, 1899). Both of Minneapolis' streaks remained intact through week's end. Meanwhile in North Dakota, Bismarck again had no measurable snowfall during the week, establishing a record for the latest date of their first accumulation (previously December 8, 1920). Most of the week's precipitation occurred due to the passage of three low-pressure systems that followed a similar path across the Northwest before heading generally southeastward toward the southern Plains. All three systems then turned northeastward while traversing the East. Weekly rainfall topped 2 inches from central Oklahoma and northeastern Texas to central Indiana. The first storm system departed the East early in the week after producing last week's snowfall across portions of the central and southern Plains. The second system dumped additional snowfall on the southern Plains, but slightly farther to the south. Lubbock, TX received 7.0 inches on December 9. The chain of storms also produced widespread precipitation across the Intermountain West, boosting month-to-date snowfall to 14.9 inches in Salt Lake City, UT, 5.8 inches in Spokane, WA, and 1.4 inches in Boise, ID. Following a daily-record rainfall (2.81 inches) on December 4, Springfield, MO netted another on December 9 (2.77 inches). Springfield's month-to-date (December 1-11) sum of 6.88 inches stands as their fourth-wettest December behind only 11.02 inches in 1885, 8.84 inches in 1982, and 7.48 inches in 1987. December 1-11 rainfall totaled 7.43 inches in Joplin, MO. Farther west, month-to-date precipitation reached 3.98 inches in Wichita, KS, behind only 1984 (4.81 inches) and tied with 1944 in their all-time December rankings. Toward week's end, much-needed rainfall developed across central and eastern Texas. In Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX, monthly rainfall reached 2.34 inches, boosting their year-to-date total to 23.38 inches (72 percent of normal). Meanwhile in New England, heavy snow blanketed northern interior sections, while high winds raked coastal areas. Storm-total snowfall reached 16 inches in Stowe, VT and 12 inches in Lake Placid, NY. On Saturday, wind gusts were clocked to 63 mph in Milton (Blue Hill Observatory), MA, 53 mph in Manchester, NH, and 51 mph in Portland, ME. In the Southwest, mostly dry weather continued despite a late-week storm's passage. On December 11, Flagstaff, AZ recorded a 78th consecutive day without measurable precipitation. Meanwhile, cool weather enveloped the region. In Bakersfield, CA, where above-normal temperatures were last recorded on November 30, temperatures averaged 2.8 degrees F below normal during the first 12 days of December. Their lows dipped to 31 degrees F on December 4 and 12, and to 32 degrees F on December 11. Elsewhere in the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno noted temperatures at or below freezing on December 8 (31 degrees F) and 12 (30 degrees F). The temperatures were not low enough to significantly affect California's citrus or fall-sown ground crops. In fact, the cool weather promoted citrus coloration and maturation. Bitterly cold weather (weekly temperatures as much as 17 degrees F below normal) again prevailed across much of Alaska, continuing a trend that has persisted for 7 weeks. On December 6-7, consecutive daily-record lows were noted in Cold Bay (8 degrees F both days) and on St. Paul Island (0 and 12 degrees F). Meanwhile in Hawaii, locally heavy rain fell for the second consecutive week. During an 84-hour period on December 9-12, rainfall on the Big Island reached 19.03 inches in Piihonua and 17.29 inches in Glenwood. National Agricultural Summary December 6 - December 12, 1999 Highlights: Precipitation in the southern Great Plains boosted soil moisture supplies. Cool temperatures restricted wheat growth in Oklahoma, while lack of soil moisture slowed wheat development in California. Harvesting of remaining summer crops was interrupted on the Texas Plains due to high winds and drifting wet snow. Insect populations were active but declining in the wake of the recent hard freeze in Texas. Dry conditions in California allowed field activities to progress normally. Wet weather continued in the Pacific Northwest. Much-needed precipitation in the southern Mississippi Valley and the Ohio and Tennessee Valley's were accompanied by above-normal temperatures. Soil moisture in the northern Mississippi Valley and northern Great Plains remained unfavorable. Mostly dry conditions prevailed in Florida, allowing winter wheat seeding to wind down and vegetable harvest to continue. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12:00 p.m. ET on December 21, 1999. 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