We 1 (2-02) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 20, 2002, 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 89, No. 8 February 10 - 16, 2002 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Following an early-week storm system that produced rain and snow in the Northeast, dry weather prevailed nearly nationwide. Across the South, where weekly temperatures averaged as much as 6 degrees F below normal, significant showers were confined to southern Florida. Soil moisture remained adequate to locally excessive for pasture and winter grain development from the Delta westward, but dryness became an increasing concern in the middle and southern Atlantic States. Farther north, warm weather prevailed across the northern Plains and upper Midwest, elevating temperatures as much as 20 degrees F above normal in the latter region. Breezy, extremely dry conditions persisted in drought-affected areas from Montana to western Nebraska. Meanwhile, the return of dry weather reduced topsoil moisture in winter wheat areas across the southern half of the Plains. At week's end, an approaching storm system brought light precipitation to California, slowing fieldwork but boosting topsoil moisture in the Central Valley. Prior to the storm's arrival, warm weather (up to 6 degrees F above normal) promoted vegetable and small grain development in California and Arizona. In contrast, cold air remained trapped at some valley locations across the Intermountain West, especially in the Snake River Plain. Early-week precipitation totaled 1 inch or more from central Pennsylvania to southern Maine, providing limited relief from long-term drought. From February 10-13, Binghamton, NY, netted 1.41 inches (1.6 inches of snow), with the bulk of the precipitation (1.25 inches) falling as rain on the 10th. During the same 4-day period, Caribou, ME, measured 0.38 inch (6.4 inches of snow). Later in the week, Caribou's temperature rebounded to 43 degrees F on February 16, up from -18 degrees F just 2 days earlier. Elsewhere in Maine on the 16th, Bangor logged a daily-record high of 50 degrees F. Farther west, unusual warmth prevailed throughout the week across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. In Montana, Cut Bank opened and closed the week with daily-record highs (59 degrees F on February 10) and 57 degrees F on February 16. The northern High Plains also witnessed a continuation of the windy conditions that have plagued the region, with Cut Bank recording a weekly average wind speed of 19.2 mph and a peak wind gust to 62 mph on February 11. Meanwhile in the Red River Valley, Fargo, ND, posted daily-record highs on February 11 (55 degrees F) and 14 (43 degrees F). Warmth returned to California and the Southwest for the first time since the first half of January. Daily-record highs at the marina in Oceanside, CA (80 degrees F on February 9 and 84 degrees F on February 10), followed a daily-record low (36 degrees F) on February 7. On February 12, daily records in Arizona included 58 degrees F in Flagstaff and 73 degrees F in Cottonwood. In contrast, lingering cold across the interior West resulted in daily-record lows for February 12 in locations such as Meacham, OR (-6 degrees F), and Winchester, ID (7 degrees F). A strong high-pressure system, which produced a February record-high barometric pressure in Salt Lake City, UT (30.95 inches on the 10th), contributed to the unusual temperature and wind patterns across the West. With little precipitation falling in several key drought areas, including the northern High Plains and much of the East, during the week, the focus remained on long-term precipitation deficits. From August 1 - February 18, only 1.26 inches of precipitation (31 percent of normal) fell in Glasgow, MT. In Washington, DC, September 1 - February 18 precipitation totaled 5.85 inches, or 34 percent of normal. Complicating the drought situation was the Nation's warmest November-January period on record, and staggering long-term precipitation deficits in some locations, including parts of Montana and the southern Atlantic States. For example, Great Falls, MT, received 21.54 inches of precipitation (65 percent of normal) from October 1999 - January 2002, and Greenville-Spartanburg, SC, recorded 141.03 inches (74 percent) from May 1998 - January 2002. Wet weather developed across southeastern Alaska, while cold conditions overspread the southwestern portion of the State. On February 10 and 11, St. Paul, AK--situated in the Pribilof Islands more than 200 miles north of the Aleutians--noted consecutive daily-record lows of -2 degrees F, accompanied by a 2-day snowfall of 13.4 inches. Farther east, Juneau, AK, received 4.83 inches of precipitation (195 percent of normal) during the first 18 days of February. The remainder of Alaska experienced mild, mostly dry weather, with weekly temperatures up to 12 degrees F above normal across the southern interior. Meanwhile in Hawaii, where temperatures averaged as much as 2 degrees F below normal, locally heavy showers subsided by midweek. Some of the heavier 24-hour totals were noted on February 12-13, when rainfall reached 2.71 inches at the Manoa Lyon Arboretum on Oahu and 1.66 inches in Wainiha, Kauai. National Agricultural Summary February 11 - 17, 2002 Dry weather prevailed across most of the Nation, increasing moisture shortages in the Great Plains and the Atlantic Coastal Plains, but supporting fieldwork in the southern Great Plains, Mississippi Delta, and Southeast. On the northern High Plains, winter wheat fields suffered due to moisture shortages and wind-blown soil. The dry weather was beneficial in interior parts of the lower Mississippi Valley and adjacent areas of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, where soils remained nearly saturated from recent precipitation. Below-normal temperatures limited growth of winter grains and forages in the southern Great Plains and along the western Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, above-normal temperatures promoted development of winter crops along the Atlantic Coastal Plains. In California, favorably warm weather contributed to vigorous growth of winter vegetable, grain, and forage crops. Harvest and other seasonal activities continued without delay in California's citrus groves. Rain temporarily halted the sugarcane harvest in southern Florida, but field and orchard work were uninterrupted in central and northern areas of the State. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on February 26, 2002. 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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