We 1 (2-00) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 1, 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. 5 January 23 - 29, 2000 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Major snow and ice storms continued to affect the East and South, hampering transportation and stressing livestock, but easing drought in the latter region. Snow also blanketed the most of the central and southern Plains, where winter grains benefited from the improved moisture and insulation. Meanwhile, heavy precipitation continued across northern and central California through midweek, further improving conditions for dryland crops in the Central Valley and boosting high-elevation snow packs. For the 3rd consecutive week, warm weather (temperatures up to 9 degrees F above normal) prevailed in California and the Southwest. Continuing a winter-long trend, mild, mostly dry conditions dominated the northern Plains. Farther south and east, however, very cold weather gripped areas from the central and southern Plains to the East Coast. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 15 degrees F below normal in the eastern Corn Belt, where temperatures frequently fell below 0 degrees F, although a substantial snow cover protected winter grains. On Thursday morning, sub-freezing temperatures briefly spread as far south as central Florida, adversely affecting tender fruits and vegetables. Early in the week, bitterly cold air remained in place across the Northeast. On Sunday, daily-record lows were observed in Massena, NY (-25 degrees F) and Montpelier, VT (-17 degrees F). Elsewhere in the region, lows included -32 degrees F in Sutton, VT and -31 degrees F in Saranac Lake, NY. A reinforcing shot of cold air trailed an early- to midweek storm system across the Midwest and into the East. In Ft. Wayne, IN, where snow depths ranged from 6 to 8 inches during the week, daily-record lows occurred on Tuesday (-9 degrees F) and Thursday (-11 degrees F). Following a record snowfall, Raleigh-Durham, NC posted four consecutive record lows (13, 10, 1, and 7 degrees F) from January 26-29. The chill visited central and southern Florida on January 27, when Melbourne (32 degrees F) and Hollywood (38 degrees F) were among the stations tallying record lows. Cooler air also invaded southern Texas, but not before Brownsville recorded their 17th day in January (80 degrees F on January 27) with a high at or above 80 degrees F. Brownsville registered a greater number of 80-degree days in January only in 1950 (20 days) and 1971 (19 days). Raleigh-Durham (RDU) was one of the hardest hit areas by a storm that formed on Monday across the Southeast, then moved northward a day later along the Atlantic Coast. RDU's storm-total (January 24-25) snowfall reached 20.3 inches, part of a narrow band of 1- to 2-foot totals that affected areas from northern South Carolina to northern New England. The previous greatest single-storm total in the RDU area was 17.9 inches, measured on February 15-17, 1902. In addition, RDU's monthly snowfall reached 25.8 inches, eclipsing their former January record of 20.0 inches, set in 1893. Across eastern North Carolina on Tuesday morning, northerly wind gusts were clocked to 58 mph in Elizabeth City and 54 mph on Cedar Island. In South Carolina, Columbia's 4.3-inch snowfall was their greatest since 4.3 inches also fell on February 23, 1989. Farther north, storm-total snowfall reached 14.9 inches in Baltimore, MD and 13.0 inches in Burlington, VT. Jay Peak, VT received 23.0 inches. Meanwhile, heavy precipitation pounded northern and central California. By January 29, the water equivalent of the high-elevation Sierra Nevada snow pack reached 12 inches (65 percent of normal), up from just 3 inches (20 percent) on January 10, according to the California Department of Water Resources. At a few locations in the Sierra Nevada, snowfall rates exceeded 1 inch per hour for a 60-hour period from January 22-25. A station at the 7,500-foot elevation level near Carson Pass received 64 inches. In Sacramento, CA, seasonal rainfall jumped from 3.91 to 8.21 inches on January 23-24. Sacramento's monthly rainfall reached 6.30 inches through January 29, following their first-ever December 10-to-January 10 period on record without measurable precipitation. Sacramento also noted their fifth-wettest 24-hour period on record, with 3.51 inches on January 23-24. After midweek, a storm system developed over the central and southern Plains. In Oklahoma, January 26-28 snowfall reached 9 inches in Oklahoma City and 17 inches in Eufaula. Little Rock, AR received 7.2 inches on January 27-28, their first measurable snowfall since February 13, 1997. Little Rock's 1,077-day period without accumulating snow easily eclipsed their previous longest record of 778 days, set from January 21, 1930 - March 8, 1932. Very heavy snow fell as far south as the northern one-third of Mississippi, where 1 foot was reported in Bolivar and Grenada Counties. Unusually cool weather prevailed in Hawaii, holding weekly temperatures as much as 4 degrees F below normal. Kahului, HI notched a daily-record low of 54 degrees F on Tuesday. Meanwhile, unseasonably mild weather dominated interior Alaska, where readings averaged up to 25 degrees F above normal. McGrath, AK logged a daily-record high of 40 degrees F on January 23. National Agricultural Summary January 24 - 30, 2000 Highlights: Soil moisture levels remained very low in the northern Great Plains and upper Mississippi Valley due to a prolonged absence of precipitation. Another area, extending from western Texas to southern California, also remained very short of soil moisture. A winter snow storm delivered much-needed moisture to parts of the central and southern Great Plains. The snow also sheltered hard red winter wheat fields in Kansas and Oklahoma from below-normal temperatures. The Southeast and Atlantic Coastal Plains received a mixture of wintery precipitation, further increasing moisture supplies in some areas and easing excessively dry conditions in other areas, especially in Florida. Cold air remained over the eastern half of the Nation, and temperatures averaged well below normal in the soft red winter wheat areas of the eastern and southern Corn Belt. Protective snow cover ranged from adequate in areas near the Great Lakes to marginal along the Ohio River Valley. In California, recent rains and warm weather stimulated growth of small grains, winter forages, new alfalfa, and emerging sugarbeets. However, rain and wet soils delayed field activities in central and northern areas of the State. In the San Joaquin Valley, alfalfa seeding continued and corn planting began. In Texas, cold weather halted wheat and oat development, but insect activity continued. Temperatures dipped below freezing levels as far south as central Florida as a cold front passed through the State at mid-week. However, damage to crops was minimal due to the short duration of sub-freezing temperatures. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12:00 p.m. ET on February 8, 2000. 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