We 1 (12-99) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 21, 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. 51 December 12 - 18, 1999 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Widespread rainfall further eased long-term drought from the Gulf Coast region northeastward to the Ohio Valley, continuing a trend that developed in late November. Unfavorable dryness persisted in central and western Texas, on the Plains from western Kansas northward, in the western Corn Belt, and across the Southwest. Dryness also lingered in the southern Atlantic States, although beneficial, locally heavy showers eased irrigation requirements in citrus and vegetable areas of central Florida. A weather pattern change after midweek brought a respite from an 8-week wet spell in the Northwest, allowing wintry conditions (sub-zero temperatures and light snow) to overspread the upper Midwest. Winter wheat entered dormancy as far south as the southern Plains and the Ohio Valley, despite a continuation of above-normal temperatures nearly nationwide. Winter grains remained vegetative only in California and the South. Weekly temperatures averaged 6 to 16 degrees F above normal in the northern Plains and the Northwest, and as much as 12 degrees F above normal in northern New England. Despite a mid- to late-week cool snap, most of the Plains experienced an eighth consecutive week of above-normal temperatures. In contrast, cool conditions (generally 1 to 5 degrees F below normal) prevailed in the Southwest. The cool weather, which resulted in near- to slightly below-freezing temperatures as far south as California's San Joaquin Valley and southeastern Arizona, did not threaten citrus but may have adversely affected some cool-season vegetables. Weekly rainfall generally topped 2 inches from the central Gulf Coast region northward to the lower Ohio Valley, as the primary storm track edged eastward compared to past weeks. As a result, December 1-18 totals climbed to 5.24 inches in Little Rock, AR and 5.18 inches in Louisville, KY. In Louisiana, month-to-date rainfall rose to 2.86 inches in Lake Charles and 1.98 inches in New Orleans, leaving their respective year-to-date totals at 68 and 75 percent of normal. On Tuesday, heavy precipitation spread as far north and east as Pennsylvania, where Harrisburg (1.50 inches) and Williamsport (1.37 inches) collected daily-record amounts. In the Southwest, however, dry stretches approached record proportions. In Arizona, December 18 represented the 85th consecutive day with measurable precipitation in Flagstaff and 87th consecutive day with no rain in Phoenix. Flagstaff's all-time record of 93 days was set in April-July 1974, but their former autumn record of 77 days had been noted in October-December 1903 and September-November 1898. Phoenix's longest spell without a drop of rain, 91 days, occurred in January-April 1984, although the city once observed 160 consecutive days without measurable rain, from December 1971 - June 1972. Meanwhile, San Diego, CA remained on a pace to record their driest second half of a year. San Diego's July 1 - December 18 rainfall was 0.09 inch, well below their July-December record of 0.24 inch, set in 1962. Enough cold air filtered into the upper Midwest to end several long-running streaks. In Wisconsin, Madison's streak of consecutive days with highs above 32 degrees F ended at 280 days (March 11 - December 15), tying their record set in 1981. Elsewhere in Wisconsin, Milwaukee's above-freezing streak ended a day later at 281 days, just 2 days shy of their 1994 record. Farther west, Minneapolis, MN saw their 281-day (March 10 - December 15) streak with above-freezing maximum temperatures end with a high of 17 degrees F on Thursday. Their previous record, 263 days, was set in 1994. In South Dakota, cold weather on December 15 ended streaks of above-normal temperatures at 47 days (October 29 - December 14) in Huron and 41 days (November 4 - December 14) in Sioux Falls. In addition, Thursday's lows of -3 degrees F in both Huron and Sioux Falls were the locations' first sub-zero readings since January 25. Meanwhile in Iowa, Des Moines' spell of above-normal temperatures ended at 42 days (November 4 - December 15), 11 days shy of their all-time record set in June-August 1935. In Grand Forks, ND, a 56-day streak (October 19 - December 13) without measurable precipitation ended with a light snowfall on Tuesday. Grand Forks' temperature averaged 8.9 degrees F above normal during the 8-week dry spell. Elsewhere in North Dakota, Bismarck noted their latest first measurable snow when 0.9 inch fell on December 13. Their former record was established on December 8, 1920. Madison, WI also registered their latest first snowfall (0.9 inch on December 15), bettering their former mark set on November 28, 1994. A handful of daily-record high were reported during the week, primarily across the North. On Sunday in North Dakota, Grand Forks (43 degrees F) and Williston (48 degrees F) collected record highs. Wenatchee, WA notched consecutive daily records (48 and 56 degrees F) on December 15-16. Warm weather overspread California toward week's end, resulting in an additional half-dozen daily-record highs. On Friday, Riverside, CA noted a high of 88 degrees F. Meanwhile, much-needed rain developed across Peninsular Florida, where daily-record totals were tallied on Saturday in Melbourne (1.68 inches) and Orlando (1.26 inches). Bitterly cold weather (weekly temperatures 9 to 23 degrees F below normal) prevailed across Alaska, except southeastern areas, continuing an 8-week trend. On Monday, King Salmon posted a daily-record low of -36 degrees F. Meanwhile in Hawaii, beneficial showers continued to provide some relief from long-term drought, which has persisted from Oahu to leeward portions of the Big Island since late 1997. National Agricultural Summary December 13 - December 19, 1999 Highlights: Significant precipitation fell from eastern Texas northeastward into southern Indiana. Portions of the Pacific Northwest continued to receive precipitation for the eighth consecutive week. Temperatures across the U.S. were above normal, except in southern Texas, New Mexico and parts of Arizona and Louisiana. Summer crop harvesting in Texas continued with only minor delays due to blowing snow in the Panhandle and light rains in the east. The Florida citrus belt received much-needed rain, allowing caretakers to currently discontinue their irrigation. Vegetable harvest in Florida was active for the holiday market; however, rain delayed some activity at the end of the week. Field activities in California progressed normally under favorable conditions. In Hawaii, most crops made fair progress, even with cloudy skies, low temperatures, and shorter daylight hours. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12:00 p.m. ET on December 28, 1999. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs 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.) 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