We 1 (12-02) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 10, 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. 50 December 1 - 7, 2002 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: The return of an El Ni¤o-enhanced storm track brought significant snowfall from the southern Rockies and southern High Plains to the Mid-Atlantic States and southern New England. The storm system, which had quietly lingered over the Southwest for several days before crossing the South and East from December 3-5, also produced damaging ice accumulations and electrical disruptions in the southern Mid-Atlantic region. Following more than 2 weeks of favorably dry weather across the South, rain, ice, and snow sharply curtailed fieldwork, including winter wheat planting and final summer crop harvesting. Cold weather overspread the South in the storm's wake, slowing the development of pastures and winter grains. Louisiana's sugarcane area experienced frosts and light freezes on December 6 and 7, but temperatures were not low enough to cause significant harm to the unharvested portion (approximately one-third) of the crop. Farther north, Midwestern weekly temperatures averaged as much as 14 degrees F below normal, maintaining stress on livestock. Although sub-zero readings were reported across much of Lower Michigan, a substantial snow cover helped to insulate the winter wheat crop. Meanwhile on the Plains, temperatures remained below normal in southern areas and averaged slightly above normal across the northwestern half of the region. On the southern Plains, rain and snow aided pastures and winter grains, but left fields and feedlots muddy. In contrast, only a patchy snow cover existed on the northern and central High Plains, leaving much of the winter wheat crop exposed to potential weather extremes. In the West, another week of mild, mostly dry weather favored fieldwork, but maintained concerns about the region's variety of drought-related effects, including reduced irrigation supplies, stressed rangelands, and a poorly established Northwestern winter wheat crop. The December 3-5 storm produced a stripe of 4- to 10-inch snowfalls from the Texas panhandle to the northern Mid-Atlantic region. Specific totals included 7.4 inches in Baltimore, MD, 5.4 inches in Paducah, KY, and 4.4 inches in Amarillo, TX. A few higher totals included 9.0 inches in Blacksburg, VA, and 7.6 inches in Springfield, MO. Washington, DC (6.1 inches on December 5), had their greatest daily snowfall since 9.3 inches fell on January 25, 2000, while Pittsburgh, PA (4.8 inches on December 5), had their highest total since 5.2 inches fell on January 20, 2001. Philadelphia, PA, which received 7.0 inches on December 5, has experienced only three storms of equal or greater magnitude prior to the middle of December (14.6 inches on December 11-12, 1960; 8.8 inches on November 6-7, 1953; and 7.0 inches on December 3-4, 195 7). In North Carolina, snowfall totaled 2.3 inches in Raleigh-Durham and a trace in Charlotte, but the stations' storm-total liquid equivalents, which included a substantial amount of freezing rain, reached 1.88 and 1.15 inches, respectively. As the storm approached the Northeast, lake-effect snow squalls diminished. Nevertheless, Buffalo, NY, received 16.0 inches of snow on December 1-2, while totals elsewhere in Erie County approached 2 feet. Farther south, 6.19 inches of rain pelted Lake Charles, LA, on December 3. As a result, 2002 became Lake Charles' wettest year on record (82.71 inches, or 154 percent of normal, through December 7), eclipsing their 1919 record of 79.88 inches. Several daily-rainfall records were set during the storm's passage, including 1.22 inches in Lubbock, TX, on December 3, and 1.48 inches in Little Rock, AR, the following day. In the Northwest, a brief burst of snow at midweek locally boosted topsoil moisture reserves. On December 4, Yakima, WA, netted 2.9 inches of snow, a record for the date. However, little precipitation fell elsewhere in the West. Farther east, bitterly cold weather settled across the lower Great Lakes region, producing daily-record lows on December 3 in Michigan locations such as Lansing (-18 degrees F) and Flint (-8 degrees F). Two days later, frigid conditions spread into areas as far west as the northern Plains, where daily record lows in South Dakota included -16 degrees F in Kennebec and -7 degrees F in Yankton. The cold weather reached the snow-covered Mid-Atlantic region on December 7, producing daily records in locations such as Elkins, WV (-2 degrees F), and Blacksburg, VA (-1 degree F). In Blacksburg, the temperature last fell below 0 degrees F nearly 7 years ago, in February 1996. For many other sites from the lower Great Lakes States into the Mid-Atlantic region, the late-week chill resulted in the lowest temperatures in nearly 2 years, since the winter of 2000-01. For example, Lansing last experienced a low of -18 degrees F on December 28, 2000, while Washington, DC (18 degrees F on December 7) previously had a lower reading (16 degrees F) on December 26, 2000. Remarkably mild weather continued in Alaska, marking an eleventh consecutive week of above-normal temperatures in most locations. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 20 degrees F above normal in much of interior Alaska, aided by frequent daily-record warmth. In southwestern Alaska, King Salmon experienced record-tying or -breaking warmth on the first 7 days of the month, with high temperatures ranging from 43 degrees F on December 4 and 7 to 49 degrees F on December 5. On December 4, the daily-record maximum of 34 degrees F in Kotzebue, AK, easily exceeded highs of 25 degrees F in Amarillo, TX, and 28 degrees F in Ponca City, OK. Some precipitation fell across the southwestern half of Alaska, but significant totals were confined to a few southern locations. Kodiak, AK, netted 4.12 inches during the first week of December, including a daily-record total of 1.80 inches on December 2. Meanwhile, periodic showers affected Hawaii, with the most significant showers falling toward week's end. On Kauai, Kokee netted 1.76 inches in a 48-hour period from December 5-7. Farther east, the Big Island town of Honokaa received 1.27 inches in 24 hours on December 3-4, and 1.47 inches in 48 hours from December 6-8. Hawaiian weekly temperatures averaged as much as 3 degrees F below normal, aided by several daily-record lows. Kahului, Maui, registered records on December 1 (58 degrees F) and 6 (57 degrees F). National Agricultural Summary December 2 - 8, 2002 A mixture of wintery precipitation limited fieldwork and further delayed cotton harvest in the southern Great Plains and lower Mississippi Valley. In the Southeast, rain and freezing rain were widespread, but harvest and fieldwork delays were mostly brief. Cold, dry weather prevailed in the Corn Belt and adjacent parts of the Great Plains, supporting fall tillage where soils were not frozen. Afternoon temperatures were warm enough to support vegetative growth and root development of winter wheat in parts of the Great Plains and Corn Belt, but above-ground growth was mostly undetectable in many areas. In Texas, vegetative growth was limited due to below-normal temperatures. In the Southwest, above-normal temperatures promoted development of fruit and vegetable crops, winter grains, and forages, and dry weather supported orchard activities and fieldwork. Light precipitation provided beneficial moisture along coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest, but interior areas received virtually no drought relief. In Florida, frost and abnormally cold weather limited growth of forage crops in the Panhandle, but citrus trees and fruit in the Peninsula were not damaged. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on December 17, 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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