We 1 (1-00) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 11, 2000, 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 87, No. 2 January 2 - 8, 2000 For additional information, call (202) 720-7919. HIGHLIGHTS: Widespread precipitation returned to the South and East for the first time since mid-December, boosting topsoil moisture and easing areas of long-term drought. Precipitation also returned to the Pacific Northwest, where 2 weeks of mostly dry weather followed an 8-week wet spell. Heavy rainfall (in excess of 4 inches) soaked parts of the lower Ohio Valley, leaving standing water in some fields. In contrast, only light rain and snow fell across the northern Plains and western Corn Belt, raising additional concerns due to lack of soil moisture. Meanwhile, beneficial snow blanketed much of Kansas, dampening topsoils and insulating winter wheat from a short-lived cold snap. A general 1- to 3-inch snow cover provided some protection for the northern Plains' winter wheat from the brief chill. Despite the cold outbreak, temperatures averaged above normal (departures between +5 and +10 degrees F) on the northern Plains for an 11th consecutive week. On Wednesday, low temperatures ranged between 20 and 30 degrees F across interior southern Texas, but remained above freezing in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Rain developed across parts of Texas toward week's end, providing limited relief from long-term drought, but boosting topsoil moisture and improving prospects for pastures and winter grains. Farther west, mostly dry weather in California and the Southwest continued to stress dryland crops and increase irrigation requirements. From January 2-4, nearly 100 daily-record highs were set or tied across the Midwest, South, and East during a storm system's approach. On Sunday, highs soared to 87 degrees F in Corpus Christi, TX, 76 degrees F in Montgomery, AL, and 70 degrees F in Morgantown, WV. A day later, Monroe, LA and Columbus, GA noted 78 degrees F, Salisbury, MD rose to 70 degrees F, and Concord, NH hit 60 degrees F. Newark, NJ and Providence, RI set January 4 records of 68 degrees F and 61 degrees F, respectively. These 3 days of unseasonable warmth contributed to well-above normal weekly temperatures across the eastern half of the Nation, with the greatest departures (+12 to +17 degrees F) in the Northeast. Meanwhile, very heavy rain developed in the lower Ohio Valley. On January 3, Paducah, KY netted 3.97 inches, a record single-day rainfall for January. Near-record totals were reported in Louisville, KY (3.41 inches) and Evansville, IN (3.05 inches). Storm-total precipitation reached 6.09 inches in Paducah, 4.62 inches in Louisville, and 3.74 inches in Evansville. Locally severe weather, including nine tornadoes, accompanied the storm's passage on January 2-3, especially from southern Missouri and the lower Ohio Valley southward to the central Gulf Coast. Farther west, a narrow band from southwestern to central Kansas received between 6 and 15 inches of snow. Cold air spread south- and eastward in the storm's wake. On Wednesday in Texas, Austin-Bergstrom (14 degrees F) and College Station (19 degrees F) posted daily-record lows. Elsewhere in Texas, Corpus Christi's minimum of 30 degrees F represented their lowest reading since December 29, 1997. A day earlier, temperatures had fallen below 0 degrees F as far south as a few locations in eastern Colorado, western Kansas, and Nebraska. Although no daily records were established, lows included -27 degrees F in Williston, ND and -14 degrees F in Valentine, NE. In Rapid City, SD, however, the temperature remained above 0 degrees F during the week (the lowest was 3 degrees F on Tuesday), capping their longest stretch without sub-zero readings. The streak reached 369 days through week's end (the last sub-zero reading was -7 degrees F on January 4, 1999), breaking their record of 362 days set from December 8, 1982 - December 4, 1983. Similarly, January 2-8 temperatures remained above 0 degrees F in Cheyenne, WY, following their first year on record that readings stayed above zero throughout the year. The record snowless 1999-2000 winter continued along coastal New England, where Boston, MA (Logan Airport) has yet to observe a snowflake (former record December 22, 1998), and Portland, ME and Concord, NH have reported only a trace of snow (old record December 24, 1912 for both). On Friday in Texas, Austin-Bergstorm (2.46 inches), College Station (1.60 inches), and San Antonio (1.21 inches) registered daily-record rainfalls. The total in San Antonio followed their driest year (16.63 inches, or 54 percent of normal) since only 14.31 inches fell in 1956. On the southernmost Plains, significant rain spread as far north as Midland, TX, where 0.61 inches was reported. Midland, which normally receives 14.95 inches of precipitation annually, just concluded their 6th-driest year on record (7.60 inches), which followed their 2nd-driest year (5.14 inches in 1998). In southern California, a brief shot of cold air dropped Saturday morning readings to record levels at Ramona (24 degrees F), Thermal (24 degrees F), and Wild Animal Park (25 degrees F). Persistent northerly flow kept weekly temperatures below-normal across the Southwest. In Alaska, winter continued to make its presence felt, especially in the central interior as lows exceeded -50 degrees F early in the week (-58 degrees F at Yukon Flats and Tanana, -54 degrees F at McGrath, -53 degrees F at Northway). Although temperatures moderated by the week's end (for example, Fairbank's high on Sunday was -43 degrees F; by Saturday it was 3 degrees F), weekly temperatures still averaged between 15 and 26 degrees F below normal, and more frigid Arctic air was poised to envelop the area by Sunday. National Agricultural Summary January 3 - 9, 2000 Highlights: A cold front extending from Texas to the Northeast, produced a narrow band of much-needed rainfall for parts of southern and eastern Texas and the Ohio River Valley. The system also delivered moderate precipitation in parts of the lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley, and Northeast. Most areas east and west of the band of heavy rain, including the Corn Belt, central and southern Great Plains, Southeast, and Atlantic Coastal Plains, received light showers. Rain also continued along the coast in the Pacific Northwest and scattered parts of the northern Rocky Mountains, but the northern Great Plains, the Texas High Plains, and most of California remained dry. In Texas, wheat and oat conditions continued to suffer due to dry soils except where irrigation was possible. In the Texas High Plains, some seedling death resulted from the dry conditions, and some plants died due to cold weather. In some fields, grains planted in the fall have not yet emerged. Insect populations remained active in parts of the State due to continued above-normal temperatures. In California, dryland small grain growers continued to delay planting due to dry soils. Emerging wheat and other small grains were irrigated and sprayed for weeds. Imperial Valley wheat fields showed good emergence and growth. Florida citrus growers continued to irrigate groves to maintain tree conditions. Most areas need long soaking rains to recharge soil moisture supplies. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12:00 p.m. ET on January 19, 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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