We 1 (3-01) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released March 13, 2001, 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 88, No. 11 March 4 - 10, 2001 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Significant precipitation continued to ease summer water-supply concerns in California, but only light amounts fell in the snow pack-deficient Northwest. By week's end, the water equivalent of the Sierra Nevada snow pack topped 20 inches (about 85 percent of normal), while water equivalents ranged from 45 to 65 percent of normal in most areas from the Cascades to the northern Rockies. Farther east, mild conditions (weekly temperatures up to 9 degrees F above normal) melted most of the northern Plains' remaining snow cover, while warmer weather spurred winter wheat development on the southern Plains. A pair of storm systems crossed the Plains after midweek. The first system produced more than 1 inch of rain in northern and eastern Texas on March 8-9; the second blanketed the central High Plains with wet snow at week's end. Cool weather prevailed from the eastern Plains to the East Coast, including the deeply snow-covered northwestern Corn Belt, where temperatures averaged as much as 10 degrees F below normal. Meanwhile, the first half of the week featured a major East Coast snow storm (1 to 3 feet of new snow) in New England and the northern Mid-Atlantic region. A second storm struck the same areas toward week's end, depositing an additional foot or more of snow in some locations. The East Coast storm drew cold air deep into the South, resulting in a widespread freeze on March 8 as far south as central Georgia, and scattered near-freezing temperatures in northern Florida. On March 4, widespread showers preceded the arrival of cool air across drought-stricken Peninsular Florida, temporarily easing citrus irrigation requirements. Early in the week, heavy precipitation fell in California and the East. On Sunday, Red Bluff, CA measured a daily-record rainfall total (1.64 inches), accompanied by a peak wind gust to 59 mph. A day later, Oxnard, CA (2.69 inches) also posted a daily-record total. Elsewhere on March 5, daily snowfall records were established in locations such as Burlington, VT (14.8 inches) and Marquette, MI (15.8 inches). Burlington's March 5-6 total reached 22.9 inches, their third-greatest, single-storm snowfall on record. Elsewhere, storm-total snowfall reached 40 inches in Nottingham, NH, 37 inches on Jay Peak, VT, and 35 inches in Lake Placid, NY. During the event, wind gusts peaked at 55 mph in Nantucket, MA and 64 mph on Monhegan Island, ME. Offshore wave heights reached 27 feet at the Caches Ledge Buoy, near Portland, ME. The late-week storm boosted March 1-10 snowfall to 38.0 inches in Syracuse, NY, 30.6 inches in Worcester, MA, and 26.6 inches in Burlington, VT. This time, however, significant snow fell farther north in Maine. For example, Bangor, ME received 2.0 inches from the first storm, then netted 14.0 inches on Saturday. Syracuse's season-to-date snowfall climbed to 184.3 inches by week's end, second only to a 192.1-inch total in 1992-93. Similarly, the seasonal snowfall through March 10 rose to 254.5 inches in Marquette, MI, approaching their record total of 272.2 inches, set in 1996-97. Meanwhile in Florida, March 4 rainfall totals of 0.93 inch in Ft. Myers and 0.65 inch in Key West easily surpassed the stations' January 1 - March 3 accumulations of 0.08 and 0.42 inch, respectively. Key West's January-February rainfall, 0.42 inch, represented their driest start to a year since only 0.27 inch fell during the first 2 months of 1928. One of Florida's best-soaked areas, Tampa, collected 1.59 inches on March 4, but received just 3.89 inches (62 percent of normal) for the year-to-date through March 10. Farther south, the average surface elevation of Lake Okeechobee fell to 10.41 feet by week's end, approximately 4.40 feet below the 1979-95 average for March 10. Farther west, record warmth preceded the arrival of a weak storm system in the Northwest, resulting in at least 20 daily-record highs. Consecutive daily records were established on March 6-7 in locations such as Salem, OR (72 and 71 degrees F) and Quillayute, WA (69 and 65 degrees F). Warm air also overspread the northern High Plains, where Cut Bank, MT notched a record high (60 degrees F) on Thursday. In contrast, sharply cooler weather invaded the Southeast. On March 8, lows included 28 degrees F in Macon, GA and 29 degrees F in Tallahassee, FL. Farther south, Hollywood, FL (44 degrees F) tallied a daily-record low. In eastern Washington, the warmer weather melted Spokane's remaining snow, ending their record-setting spell (November 9 to March 5) with at least 1 inch on the ground at 117 days. Their previous record of 113 days was set in 1992-93. Meanwhile, snow remained on the ground through week's end (December 11 to March 10) in Des Moines, IA, tying their 1977-78 record of 90 days with at least 1 inch of cover. Cold weather remained conspicuously absent from Alaska, where weekly temperatures averaged as much as 18 degrees F above normal across the southwestern part of the mainland. Heavy precipitation fell in southeastern Alaska, boosting March 1-10 totals to 8.49 inches in Yakutat and 1.84 inches in Juneau. Meanwhile in Hawaii, generally light showers accompanied warm weather (up to 2 degrees F above normal). National Agricultural Summary March 5 - 11, 2001 Significant precipitation temporarily eased drought conditions in parts of Florida, but moisture reserves remained very low across most of the State. Excessive wetness continued through a large portion of northern and eastern Texas, while dry weather prevailed in southern regions of the State. A stormy weather pattern continued in California, reducing irrigation needs and increasing the snowpack accumulation. Most areas of the Pacific Northwest received precipitation, but amounts were too light to break the abnormally dry weather pattern. Favorably dry weather prevailed in the Corn Belt, while the Atlantic Coastal Plains and northern Great Plains remained unfavorably dry. Warmer-than-normal weather stimulated growth of winter grains and forages in the southern High Plains, but cooler-than-normal weather limited development in other parts of the southern Great Plains. Cool weather also limited growth in the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast. In Texas, winter wheat, oats, and forages benefited from mild temperatures and ample moisture supplies, especially on the High Plains. Excessive wetness curtailed field preparations in northern and eastern areas of the State, while mostly dry conditions aided fieldwork in southern regions. Corn, cotton, and sorghum planting continued in the Coastal Bend, lower Valley, and portions of South Texas. Although temperatures averaged below normal, daily highs were warm enough to germinate seeds and promote emergence of recently planted fields. Peach and pecan buds were swelling and blooms were opening on early varieties in southern Texas. In Florida, moisture supplies were adequate in the Panhandle, but remained very short across the Peninsula, despite receiving much-needed rainfall. Growth of winter forages and grains remained very slow due to moisture shortages and cool weather that included near-freezing temperatures in the northern half of the State. Citrus caretakers irrigated groves until late-week rains arrived. Some citrus trees were dropping petals and developing pin-size fruit. In California, fieldwork and orchard activities were hampered by rain. Seasonal temperatures aided development of sugar beets, small grains, and forage crops. Fruit and nut trees were blooming. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12:00 p.m. ET on March 20, 2001. 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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