We 1 (2-02) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 26, 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. 9 February 17 - 23, 2002 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. HIGHLIGHTS: Record warmth prevailed nearly nationwide in advance of a strong cold front that reached the northern Plains by week's end. Prior to the arrival of cold air, highs peaked near 70 degrees F as far north as Montana and reached or exceeded 80 degrees F in northern Texas, causing wheat to lose some winter hardiness. Drought-stressed wheat on the High Plains had little protection from the sudden temperature change, although as much as 4 inches of snow blanketed the Montana High Plains. Meanwhile, weekly rainfall totaled 1 inch or more in many locations from Missouri to Wisconsin and Michigan, recharging soil moisture but leaving muddy conditions in fields and feedlots. Midwestern temperatures also soared to record levels, averaging 8 to 18 degrees F above normal across the western half of the Corn Belt. Farther south, heavy rainfall (locally 2 inches or more) briefly returned to the lower Mississippi Valley and adjacent areas, slowing fieldwork but maintaining adequate to locally excessive soil moisture. In contrast, unfavorable dryness persisted in the middle and southern Atlantic regions, where drought continued to threaten groundwater reserves and stress pastures and winter grains. However, beneficial rainfall overspread Florida's peninsula toward week's end, reducing irrigation requirements. In the West, warmth in California and the Southwest aided spring fieldwork operations and promoted vegetable and small grain development. However, extremely dry conditions maintained summer water-supply concerns in the central and southern Rockies and the Southwest. Farther north, beneficial precipitation continued for much of the week in northern California, the Great Basin, the northern Rockies, and the Pacific Northwest. Early in the week, a generally light snowfall ended across portions of the Northeast. February 17 snowfall included 4.6 inches in Burlington, VT, and 1.3 inches in Worcester, MA. Farther west, rain showers developed on Tuesday across the Midwest, expanding into the East by midweek. February 18-19 rainfall totaled 1.48 inches in LaCrosse, WI, and 0.99 inch in Rochester, MN, easily surpassing the cities' normal monthly precipitation (0.99 and 0.75 inch, respectively). Rain changed to snow by midweek across the upper Midwest, totaling 1.3 inches (on February 20-21) in LaCrosse and 2.8 inches in Rochester. Meanwhile, 12.3 inches of snow blanketed Marquette, MI, on February 20. The liquid equivalent of the snow, 1.48 inches, was just shy of Marquette's single-day precipitation record for the month (1.53 inches on February 3, 1983). Meanwhile, significant precipitation again bypassed the middle and southern Atlantic States. In Washington, DC, where precipitation totaled 5.86 inches (33 percent of normal), or 12.13 inches below normal, from September 1, 2001 - February 24, 2002, weekly rainfall was just 0.01 inch. In contrast, February 19 rainfall reached 1.89 inches in Little Rock, AR, and 1.77 inches in Shreveport, LA. Although the midweek storm system skirted Florida, a second system took direct aim on the peninsula toward week's end. February 22-23 totals in central Florida included 2.27 inches in Daytona Beach and 2.46 inches in Orlando. Sporadic heavy precipitation also fell in the Northwest, where February 23 rainfall included 1.61 inches (a daily record) in Walla Walla, WA, and 1.89 inches in Meacham, OR. In advance of the rain's arrival, record warmth developed across the Northwest on Thursday. Daily-record warmth also spread across the remainder of the West on February 21-22, reaching the northern Plains on Friday and the central Plains and upper Midwest at week's end. More than 150 daily-record highs were set or tied nationwide from February 21-23, including consecutive records in locations such as downtown Los Angeles, CA (88 degrees F on the 21st and 90 degrees F on the 22nd), Santa Ana, CA (93 degrees F on both days), Eugene, OR (68 degrees F on the 21st and 67 degrees F on the 22nd), and Pueblo, CO (72 degrees F on the 22nd and 23rd). In Montana, however, the temperature in Glasgow fell from 66 degrees F on February 22 (their earliest high above 65 degrees F on record) to a low of -5 degrees F on February 24. A 1.3-inch snowfall accompanied Glasgow's transition to cold weather. Elsewhere in Montana, Great Falls received 5.6 inches of snow on February 23-24, while Havre noted a temperature drop from 64 degrees F on the 22nd to -12 degrees F on the 24th. Warm, tranquil weather prevailed in Hawaii until week's end, when heavy showers developed across portions of the Big Island. On February 18-19, Honolulu, Oahu, noted consecutive daily-record highs (84 and 86 degrees F). On February 23-24, Big Island rainfall totals for a 24-hour period reached 4.98 inches in Honokaa and 2.73 inches in Laupahoehoe. Farther north, colder air overspread much of Alaska, where temperatures averaged as much as 6 degrees F below normal. Occasional heavy precipitation continued across southern Alaska, where Kodiak received 1.29 inches (including 1.4 inches of snow) on February 22, and Juneau netted a February 1-24 precipitation total of 5.13 inches (157 percent of normal). National Agricultural Summary February 18 - 24, 2002 Much of the Southeast remained unfavorably dry, especially on the Atlantic Coastal Plain, where light showers barely maintained topsoil moisture. In the mid-Atlantic States, precipitation completely bypassed most areas. In areas of the Southeast that received precipitation, above-normal temperatures stimulated growth of winter grains and forages. Despite the abnormally warm weather, sub-freezing overnight temperatures provided some beneficial chill hours for fruit trees as the bloom season approached. In Florida, steady rainfall provided much-needed moisture reserves for citrus groves in the central Peninsula. Farther south, intermittent showers briefly interfered with sugarcane harvest and work in vegetable fields. Also, most of the Mississippi Valley, from the Delta to the Great Lakes, and parts of the southern Great Plains received beneficial precipitation. Heavy rainfall produced excessive soil moisture in parts of the interior Mississippi Delta and a few areas of the central Corn Belt. Meanwhile, much of the central and northern High Plains received little or no relief from soil moisture shortages. Storms continued to strike the Pacific Northwest, delivering substantial rainfall in low-lying coastal areas and heavy snowfall in the Cascade and Sierra Mountain ranges. Above-normal temperatures and light precipitation promoted rapid growth of winter crops in California's valleys. The rain only briefly delayed field and orchard work. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on March 5, 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.) 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