We 1 (12-99) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 28, 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. 52 December 19 - 25, 1999 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Dry weather prevailed nearly nationwide, while colder air overspread the Midwest, South, and East. In contrast, unusually mild weather continued on the northern Plains for the ninth consecutive week. Significant precipitation (more than 1 inch) was primarily confined to scattered locations from southern Louisiana to the Carolinas, although locally heavy, lake-effect snow fell in the Great Lakes region. Dry weather in the Northwest signaled the end of a 2-month wet spell, while isolated precipitation in the Southwest brought little relief from a 3-month dry spell. Weekly temperatures averaged 6 to 16 degrees F above normal on the Montana Plains and as much as 12 degrees F above normal in northern California. Santa Ana conditions developed across southern California, causing wildfires to briefly flare and spread. Farther east, however, cold weather (weekly readings as much as 10 degrees F below normal) increased livestock stress in the western Corn Belt, where extreme minimum temperatures ranged from -20 to 0 degrees F. At week's end, cold air spread deep into the South, burning back pastures and winter grains. By Sunday morning, December 26, temperatures fell slightly below the freezing mark (32 degrees F) in most of southern Louisiana's sugarcane areas, and into the middle 30's degrees F as far south as central Florida's citrus and vegetable areas. More than 100 daily-record highs and at least two December-record highs were set during the week, mostly in California. Oakland (airport), CA tallied monthly records of 75 degrees F on December 19-20, eclipsing their 1958 standard by 1 degree F. Shelter Cove, CA attained 84 degrees F on Monday, shattering their former monthly record (80 degrees F on December 8, 1988). Late in the week, record warmth overspread the northern Plains. On December 24, highs in South Dakota reached 58 degrees F in Custer and 56 degrees F in Faith. Minot, ND closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs (47 and 48 degrees F). On December 25 in Minnesota, International Falls' high of 45 degrees F was 32 degrees F above normal. Farther east, bitterly cold weather eased toward week's end. On Saturday in Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Madison logged temperatures above 20 degrees F for the first time since December 20. Earlier in the week, wind chills in Minnesota had dropped to -50 degrees F in Rochester and -41 degrees F in Austin as the cold air invaded on December 20. A day later in northeastern Minnesota, actual temperatures dipped to -30 degrees F in Tower and Embarrass. Cold air streaming across the Great Lakes generated heavy snow showers, resulting in localized totals of 1 to 3 feet in favored locations. Month-to-date (December 1-25) snowfall reached 22.4 inches in Erie, PA. Despite an intrusion of cold air into New England, coastal areas remained snow-free through week's end. Portland, ME and Concord, NH set records for the latest date of their first measurable snowfall. Both cities' previous standards were established on December 24, 1912. Farther south, Boston, MA set records for the latest first snowflake (formerly December 22, 1998) and longest period without measurable snowfall (formerly 274 days in 1998, followed by 261 days in 1901). Boston's last measurable snow fell on March 15. On December 25, lows included -12 degrees F in Newcomb, NY and East Haven, VT. Meanwhile, cold air trailed widespread showers deep into the South. By Sunday morning, December 26, lows in central Florida reached 35 degrees F in Tampa and Sanford. Baton Rouge, LA recorded 28 degrees F. Weekly rainfall topped 2 inches in south-central Louisiana, but dry weather persisted in the Southwest. Although Baton Rouge's month-to-date rainfall reached 5.27 inches, their year-to-date total remained more than 11 inches below normal. Meanwhile in Arizona, December 25 was the 93rd consecutive day without measurable precipitation in Flagstaff, tying their April-July 1974 record. Phoenix, AZ recorded a 94th consecutive day (September 23 - December 25) without a drop of rain on Saturday, eclipsing their January-April 1984 standard. In southern Alaska, a storm's passage on December 25-26 capped an exceptionally stormy period. In Valdez, December 18-26 precipitation totaled 14.09 inches, including 57.1 inches of snow. Most of the precipitation (10.45 inches) fell from December 19-22. South and east of the storm track, warmth overspread the Alexander Archipelago (southeastern Alaska), lifting temperatures to record levels. Juneau ended the week with four daily-record highs in 5 days, including a December record-tying high of 54 degrees F on Thursday. Record warmth also reached into eastern interior Alaska, where Northway's maximum of 46 degrees F on Wednesday represented not only a December-record high by 7 degrees F, but also their highest temperature on record between October 20 and February 22. Fairbanks' high of 45 degrees F on Wednesday was their highest December temperature since 1934. Dry Creek, near Delta Junction, posted a high of 60 degrees F on December 22. In contrast, the 2-month spell of bitterly cold weather persisted across western Alaska, holding weekly temperatures as much as 16 degrees F below normal. Cold Bay noted consecutive daily-record lows (4 and 3 degrees F) on December 22-23, and King Salmon posted a daily record (-30 degrees F) on December 24. National Agricultural Summary December 20 - December 26, 1999 Highlights: Patchy snow covered winter wheat fields in the Corn Belt, providing some protection from the lowest temperatures of the winter. Lows near zero and sub-zero wind chills were common in the soft red winter regions of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan early in the week. Winds blew some of the snow cover into road side ditches, but a thin protective layer remained in some areas until a late-week warm-up melted most of the snow. Little precipitation fell on the central and northern Great Plains, and snow cover diminished for hard red winter wheat fields in most areas. However, winter kill was not an immediate concern in Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota due to above normal temperatures. In Montana, snow cover remained adequate even though temperatures averaged well above normal across most of the State. In Texas, seeding and re-seeding of wheat and oats continued where recent rain or snowfall supplied some moisture. Harvest of remaining summer crops continued, with only minor delays due to blowing snow in the Panhandle and light showers in eastern Texas. Land preparation slowly continued for the 2000 crops. In California, field activities progressed normally, although rain was badly needed in most areas. Seeding of irrigated small grains, alfalfa, and forage crops continued, but growers postponed planting of dryland small grains. Most of the recently seeded wheat fields required irrigation to germinate and emerge, but warm weather stimulated growth where moisture was available. Orchards, vineyards, and vegetable growers continued with normal winter activities. In Florida, light rains preceded a cold front that lowered temperatures into the upper thirties in several of the State's central and northern citrus groves. Light frost killed weeds and cover crops, but did not damage fruit. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12:00 p.m. ET on January 4, 2000. 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.) 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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