We 1 (3-00) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released March 7, 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. 10 February 27 - March 4, 2000 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Wet conditions prevailed in much of California for the eighth consecutive week, further improving soil moisture reserves, high-elevation snow packs, and spring runoff prospects, but hampering spring fieldwork operations. Cool weather (as much as 5 degrees F below normal) also prevailed in California, but exceptionally mild conditions dominated the remainder of the country. From the Rockies eastward, weekly temperatures ranged from 5 to 21 degrees F above normal across the North and 3 to 9 degrees F above normal in the South. In the latter region, the warm weather favored fieldwork and early summer-crop planting, but stressed winter grains and further depleted already limited topsoil moisture supplies. In areas, where soil moisture has recently improved, including the Ohio Valley and the central and southern Plains (excluding West Texas), the warmth promoted rapid winter wheat development. Despite two episodes of scattered showers in the Southeast, the threat of wildfires remained high and irrigation requirements continued to increase, especially in Florida and southern Georgia. Meanwhile, a mid- to late-week storm system provided most of Kansas, Oklahoma, and extreme northern Texas with at least of inch of precipitation, further improving the region's winter wheat prospects. At week's end, a major storm system approached southern California and the Southwest. For the fifth consecutive week, nearly coast-to-coast warmth prevailed, resulting in more than 100 daily-record highs. California and adjacent areas, cool for the third time in 4 weeks, were again the exception. Simi Valley, CA (43 degrees F) reported a daily-record low on Tuesday. Two days later in California's Sacramento Valley, Redding's high of 49 degrees F was 13 degrees F below normal. Meanwhile in Wisconsin, Wausau tallied a high of 59 degrees F on Tuesday, tying their February record set just 3 days earlier. International Falls, MN posted four daily-record highs during the week, including a maximum of 60 degrees F on March 3. That reading represented International Falls' earliest occurrence of 60-degree warmth (formerly 60 degrees F on March 6, 1987). Unusual warmth was not confined to the North, as McAlester, OK registered a record high of 78 degrees F on February 29. A day later, record highs reached 81 degrees F in New Orleans, LA and Mobile, AL. California's Department of Water Resources indicated that the water equivalent of the high-elevation Sierra Nevada snow pack surged to 27 inches (about 110 percent of normal) by early March, up by 2 feet in less than 8 weeks. Meanwhile, heavy rain periodically fell at lower elevations. On Sunday, Fresno, CA logged their highest calendar-day rainfall (1.87 inches) in February, contributing to their wettest February (6.11 inches) on record. During February, downtown San Francisco, CA noted 21 days with measurable rainfall, breaking their record of 20 days set in 1915 and 1998. Meanwhile in the Southwest, midweek precipitation spread as far south as northern Arizona. On March 1, Flagstaff, AZ received 8.8 inches of snow, boosting their seasonal total to 32.2 inches. Flagstaff's normal seasonal snowfall (through week's end) is 74.4 inches. Farther east, significant precipitation arrived across the central and southern Plains on the night of March 1-2. Dodge City, KS received 1.62 inches of precipitation (ending as 1.1 inches of snow) on March 2, their highest 24-hour total since 2.01 inches fell during the 15.7-inch snow storm of March 12-13, 1999. However, showers provided only temporary relief from topsoil dryness in western Texas, where storm-total rainfall reached 0.26 inch in Amarillo and 0.24 inch in both Lubbock and Midland. Similarly, showers in the Southeast provided only limited relief from long-term drought and topsoil dryness. In Macon, GA, rainfall totaled 0.82 inch during the first 4 days of March, following only 0.37 inch (8 percent of normal) in February. Mostly dry weather persisted for a sixth consecutive week in Hawaii, accompanied by near- to above-normal temperatures. As a result, agricultural drought continued to gradually intensify across primarily leeward portions of the central and eastern Hawaiian islands. Meanwhile in Alaska, above-normal temperatures prevailed for the seventh week in a row across interior sections (up to 10 degrees F above normal), and for the fourth consecutive week in western areas (up to 18 degrees F above normal). National Agricultural Summary February 28 - March 5, 2000 Highlights: Temperatures averaging well above normal stimulated winter wheat development in the Great Plains and Corn Belt. Precipitation also aided wheat growth and improved conditions in Kansas and Oklahoma. Some wheat fields germinated and emerged in Kansas, while most fields reached the jointing stage in Oklahoma. In the Corn Belt, rainfall was light and scattered, but soil moisture supplies were adequate to support soft red winter wheat development as it broke dormancy along the Ohio and Missouri River Valleys. Wheat conditions improved in eastern Texas due to improved soil moisture supplies, but dry soils continued to stress wheat fields in the High Plains. Corn planting continued in southern Texas and advanced northward into portions of the North Central region. Recent rain showers aided emergence in both areas. Cotton planting expanded in the Coastal Bend and South Texas. Rice planting began along the Gulf Coast, but progress was limited due to water shortages. Growers also planted sorghum and soybeans along the Gulf Coast and inland regions of southern Texas. A wet weather pattern continued along the Pacific Coast from central California to the Canadian border. In California, most fieldwork was halted by muddy conditions. Irrigated and dryland grain, oat hay, and winter forages continued to progress well in most areas with ample soil moisture. However, plants standing in water in low areas were beginning to yellow. In more mature grain fields, plants lodged due to excessive rain and strong winds. Growth of winter forages and recently planted corn fields was slow in some areas due to below-normal temperatures. Other fields that were prepared for corn planting remained idle, while growers waited for drier soil conditions. Orchard activities, including fruit harvest, were delayed by rain in some areas, but remained active in southern California. In the Southeast, rain boosted soil moisture supplies, especially in the southern Appalachians and adjacent Piedmont. Dry conditions continued along the Coastal Plains, Gulf Coast, and lower Mississippi Valley. In Florida, sugarcane harvest neared completion and growers prepared fields for spring crops. Citrus growers continued irrigating groves, as trees produced new growth and bloom buds. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12:00 p.m. ET on March 14, 2000. 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